CLEVELAND – The Greater Cleveland Food Bank (GCFB) recently launched the city’s newest food truck to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to inner-city residents in “food deserts.”

On the road for less than a month, Cleveland.com reports that the truck recently attracted a steady stream of customers and passed out 750 pounds of food in a few hours. "People see it and come out," said GCFB outreach worker Tristan Rader.

The news source writes that the GCFB won a $50,000 grant from Feeding America, an anti-hunger charity, to lease and customize a food truck to distribute fresh produce to the poor. In Northeast Ohio, about 50,000 residents are eligible for food assistance but have not signed up. As food is passed out, Rader says, the food truck also serves as an outreach office, giving him and other staff the chance to talk about food assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Volunteers also offer tips on food preparation and hope to conduct on-site cooking demonstrations.