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Bringing fresh food to an L.A. food desert, one produce box at a time

South Central resident Olympia Auset was sick of taking the bus two hours to buy fresh produce. So, she started selling fresh produce herself.

South LA resident Olympia Auset started a produce stand three years ago and now wants to expand into a physical store.
South LA resident Olympia Auset started a produce stand three years ago and now wants to expand into a physical store.
John F. Peters

Three years ago, Los Angeles resident Olympia Auset was sick of taking the bus two hours to buy fresh produce. So, she started selling fresh produce at a weekly produce stand in her South Los Angeles neighborhood. The USDA estimates as many as 54 million Americans live in food deserts, where residents in low-income neighborhoods struggle to get to supermarkets. Auset is now raising funds to expand her Süprmarkt stand into a physical store to help her community have better access to healthy foods.

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