Sprout E-course Alumnus Story: Jeremy Goss

The St Louis Metro Market is a mobile market that aims to provide residents of low-income areas without a grocery store within a one-mile radius access to fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable rates as well as some nutritional education.

It was started by Jeremy Goss, a medical student at St Louis University who currently lives in St Louis, Messouri. Upon moving there Jeremy witnessed first hand the dire consequences of bad eating habits and lack of physical exercise. He also learned in medical school about various diseases such as heart disease and diabetes and the intricate relationship they have with bad eating habits and idleness. All of this inspired him to start thinking about a way to alleviate the problems caused by fresh food shortages and it did not take long for the inspiration to spur him into action and start the St Louis Metro Market.

In order to ensure the project's success, Jeremy developed relationships with various suppliers including local farmers as well as others in the state of Missouri through his university. However, Jeremy faced a number of obstacles that he had to overcome such as procuring a vehicle and receiving funding. Through continuous communication and negotiation, Jeremy was able to secure a reclaimed city transit bus and come up with a feasible project plan that made it possible in the end to receive funding in the form of grants. When asked in what way he found the course to be beneficial, Jeremy responded by saying " [that] the most helpful aspect was the structure that the course provided." He went on to say that "There was always an assignment that was related to the goals that we needed to accomplish."

Jeremy advises future students of the Sprout e-course to make the most of it by engaging with mentors and absorbing as much as possible. By facilitating access to fresh fruit and vegetables as well as knowledge about nutrition, Jeremy is making an important contribution to the city of St Louis's impoverished neighborhoods, and he feels encouraged to expand the scope of the project to cover more food deserts in the state of Missouri.