UND Today

University of North Dakota’s Official News Source

Market on wheels

UND nursing student teams with local proprietors to bring fresh veggies and other healthy consumables to campus in an old-style trolley car.

Grand Forks Mobile Farmers Market
UND student Brooke Riendeau (left), with the Grand Forks Mobile Farmers Market, and colleague Hannah Harman chat with UND employees on Tuesday, Sept. 13, near the UND Memorial Union. Riendeau and Harman helped operate the mobile farmers market out of an old-style trolley car. Photo by Jackie Lorentz.

It’s nearing fall and that means the bounty of the growing season is ready.

With this in mind, the Grand Forks Mobile Farmers Market has been making rounds on the University of North Dakota campus, delivering garden-fresh produce and other goods to students, staff and faculty.

The market on wheels, an old-style trolley car to be exact, paid its first visit to UND on Tuesday, near the Memorial Union, and its set to return with more goods for sale on Friday (Sept. 16), and then once again on Monday, Sept. 26.  On Friday, the trolley will be parked at the UND Apartment Community Center parking lot, 525 Stanford Rd., from 5:30-7 p.m.; and on Sept. 26, it will be located by the UND Wellness Center, 801 Princeton Street; from 3-5 p.m.

The idea of bringing the Mobile Farmers Market to UND was started by Anne Bodensteiner, formerly of UND Health and Wellness, and UND Nursing student Shannon Burgard. Burgard is currently heading up the effort. Analee Hokkala, UND’s substance abuse prevention coordinator, also assisted.

The Mobile Farmers Market is open to the entire campus community as well as visitors.  It accepts SNAP/EBT, credit cards and debit cards.

On Tuesday, the trolley market operators included Brooke Riendeau, Hannah Harmon and Ben Lester. Riendeau is a UND student, interested in public health education and community nutrition. Harman is the local food access coordinator and ministry leaders at Stable Days Youth Ranch near East Grand Forks. Lester is president and co-founder of Stable Days Youth Ranch.