Indianapolis veterans group raising funds to equip bus as mobile grocery store

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A veterans group is raising money to help feed families located in the food deserts of Indianapolis.

American Legion Post No. 34 held its fall festival fundraiser on Saturday.

The American Legion is working with the Veterans Industries and Arts group to create a mobile grocery store they’ve named “The Cool Bus.” The bus would let the group bring fresh produce, meats and other foods to areas of the city without easy access to grocery stores.

“We have so much crime in this city, in this area, right now, and if you look at the demographics, a lot of those areas are far from healthy food choices. If I’m hungry, I’m mad, and you don’t know what’s going to happen when you get a whole neighborhood full of hungry, malnutritioned people. And that’s what we’ve got,” Jeff Piper, with Veterans Industries and Arts, said.

The American Legion says it will hire area veterans to staff the mobile grocery store.