Residents of central and west-central Columbia, MO—just one of many locales the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) calls a “food desert”—will soon have increased access to healthy, local foods. The definition focuses on low-income communities that lack major grocery stores.

The Columbia City Council, which won a competitive $41,791 grant from the USDA, recently contracted with Columbia Farmer's Market to provide two buses that will make stops through the food deserts and underserved areas.

The bus route will run on 30-minute cycles from April 7 to Oct. 27, beginning at 8:15 a.m. Normal Saturday transit doesn't begin until 10 a.m. and runs in 80-minute cycles, which is inefficient for someone trying to get to the market before most food is gone, and then home, in a timely manner.

To raise awareness of this program, ads will appear on two city buses, covering all three sides, that inform people about the new public transportation to Columbia Farmers’ Market.