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Farmers Market Lays Groundwork For South Side 'Food Equity Center'

Gemma Billings
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Flickr / CC-by 2.0

A pilot program bringing fresh food to Peoria’s South Side could soon become permanent.

Organizers launched a farmers market in the old Aldi building on Western Avenue for three weekends in November. It was an initiative of the Local Foods, Local Placesprogram run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Credit Google Maps
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Google Maps
The site of November's South Side Farmers Market: 210 S. Western Ave.

Peoria was one of 15 communities selected for the program, which aims to improve residents’ quality of life by making food more accessible.

City Planner Sara Maillacheruvu said the next step is to set up a brick-and-mortar location.

“One of the key goals that emerged as part of that plan was trying to develop a ‘food equity center’ where you could have accessible groceries, while also having a food hub [connecting] regional farmers with urban Peoria,” she said.

The center will also host various social service resources, like financial planning and health screening.

Maillacheruvu said while the farmers market laid much of the groundwork, the “food equity center” is still in its early stages.

“There are still a lot of questions in terms of how can we build those pathways between local farmers and local businesses to map out local food system sustainability,” she said.

She added they still need to find community partners and funding. The plan, considered by of the Planning and Zoning Commission this week, also needs approval by the full Peoria City Council.

Maillacheruvu said it “dovetails nicely” with other South Side revitalization efforts, like the South Village Implementation Plan, which was approved by council in December.

Dana Vollmer is a reporter with WGLT. Dana previously covered the state Capitol for NPR Illinois and Peoria for WCBU.