June 16, 2025

Facing funding issues, the Eat Well Sioux Falls Mobile Market will close at the end of the week while supporters try to find ways to make the project sustainable and restart it.

For almost two years, the Mobile Market, a pilot project of the nonprofit Sioux Falls Thrive, has visited Sioux Falls neighborhoods, offering healthy food choices at affordable prices.

The Mobile Market’s last day of business will be Friday, and the remaining inventory is marked at half-price. The Mobile Market advisory board is organizing an independent nonprofit entity that intends to revise business and funding strategies to potentially revive the project.

“The data is clear: The demand exists, and the mobile concept works,” Michelle Erpenbach, Sioux Falls Thrive president, said in a news release. “A grocery store on wheels addresses food insecurity for seniors, veterans and families who struggle to access affordable, nutritious food across Sioux Falls. Yet, while the need is undeniable, sustaining this service requires broader local support than has been shown through the pilot phase. This project has become a lifeline for many, and I am convinced that by working together, this community can ensure that no neighbor goes without. I hope the next several months of strategizing and honing the business model will prove that there is the local support this project needs.”

The Mobile Market opened in October 2023 with the assistance of a grant from the Sioux Falls Health Department to address areas of the city with limited access to retail groceries. Since then, it has served more than 1,100 customers in dozens of neighborhoods.

A survey by the Augustana Research Institute shows that the Mobile Market has a 96 percent customer satisfaction rating, with 80 percent of respondents reporting that the Mobile Market helped their family eat healthier.

“We knew that for this project to work, we would need to build lasting relationships with our customers and neighborhoods,” said John Boerigter, Mobile Market advisory board member. “Our consumer survey results are a testament to the hard work of the Mobile Market staff. Our customers have valued what we have been able to bring to their neighborhoods, and we are immensely proud that we’ve been able to serve our community with something new and needed.”

Despite these successes, the Mobile Market has struggled to secure sustainable income sources to subsidize operational expenses. An exploratory committee was unsuccessful in finding businesses or organizations willing to take on the project.

“I feel blessed to have had this opportunity to serve our unique and diverse communities. I am grateful for the incredible team of collaborators I’ve had the honor to work with,” said Mobile Market manager Amber Jones-Esquibel. “I want to thank all our wonderful volunteers, donors and partners; the Eat Well Sioux Falls Mobile Market would not have been as amazing without all your valuable contributions.

“It is emotional to see this pilot program come to an end. Sioux Falls deserves a Mobile Market. Our friends and relatives deserve to fill their bellies without breaking the bank. Our children and elderly deserve access to healthy food. It has been an absolute pleasure to provide this service for as long as we did, and I hope we can bring it back to our community soon.”

Here’s the schedule for the final week:

Mobile Market staff members also are in need of volunteers to help clean out the trailer and the warehouse. If interested, visit the Helpline’s Volunteer Connections website to sign up.

To follow the Mobile Market’s progress through these next steps, you can sign up here to receive its newsletter.

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