‘Big Peppa’ keeps it fresh for Bounty & Soul
Bounty & Soul unveils latest way to bring Produce to the People
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 26, 2020
Big Peppa, which will transport produce for Black Mountain nonprofit organization Bounty & Soul, is unveiled in an Oct. 13 ribbon cutting ceremony. Photo by Fred McCormick
A festive atmosphere is not uncommon during the weekly produce markets hosted by Bounty & Soul. Staff and volunteers, many clad in costumes of their favorite fruits or vegetables, joyfully carry free boxes of fresh food to the hands of hundreds of area residents.
There was an additional air of excitement on Oct. 13, however, as supporters of the Black Mountain-based nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people to food, education and each other celebrated the arrival of Big Peppa.
Bounty & Soul unveiled the latest tool in its effort to improve health and wellness in the Swannanoa Valley and beyond with a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new refrigerated truck which was purchased with a grant from the Pisgah Health Foundation and a contribution from Symmetry Financial.
The Produce to the People program greatly expanded Bounty & Soul’s reach in 2015 when the organization secured a refrigerated truck, furthering its effort to provide equitable access to nutritious, culturally relevant food at no cost. In the weeks before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, which would require founder Ali Casparian and a team of staff and volunteers to scramble to meet additional demand through an agreement to hold the markets in the parking lot of the former Bi Lo building, they suffered a setback.
Bounty & Soul hosts two weekly mobile markets in the parking lot of the former Bi Lo building. Staff and volunteers deliver free boxes of produce to the vehicles of hundreds of participants. Fred McCormick
“The refrigeration unit on our old truck went out in the summer of 2019,” Casprian said. “It was going to cost around $19,000 to fix it, so I wrote a grant to try to secure funding to do that. We learned we would receive the grant in February, but shortly after that, and right before the pandemic, the motor went out.”
Repairing the motor and refrigeration unit, which is needed to transport produce sourced from various partners throughout the region, proved too costly and Bounty & Soul received permission to purchase a replacement using the grant funding.
As the nonprofit searched for a replacement, they were able to continue hosting markets when Black Mountain Keller Williams real estate broker Eddie Collie offered temporary use of his box truck.
“We met with Bounty & Soul during one of our monthly sales meetings several years ago,” said Collie, who is also the owner of Cottonwood Properties. “I was immediately impressed by the work they were doing and I knew it was an organization I could get behind.”
Collie, along with his family and members of his team at Keller Williams, began volunteering with Bounty & Soul.
“Getting to know the people behind the scenes, and the positive energy and passion they have, has really given me insight into what a special organization it is,” he said. “When they told me their truck went down I told them to use mine for as long as they need it.”
Casparian expressed gratitude to Collie and other supporters on behalf of Bounty & Soul while introducing the vehicle, wrapped with a graphic similar to the one featured on the previous truck.
Buonty & Soul founder Ali Casparian thanks supporters of the Black Mountain nonprofit organization as she introduces Big Peppa, a refrigerated box truck that will replace its predecessor which broke down in February. Fred McCormick
“We could not have done this these past few months without his help,” she said. “We used his truck to pick up and distribute hundreds of thousands of pounds of food. I really have no idea what we would have done if it hadn’t been for him.”
She went on to thank Swannanoa-based Symmetry Financial and the Pisgah Health Foundation for their financial contributions that helped Bounty & Soul secure the 2014 vehicle through Ryder.
Naming the replacement of the previous truck, which was known as Little Miss Green Jean, was a community project for Bounty & Soul.
“Our staff and volunteers suggested names and we had our community participants vote on their favorite,” Casparian said. “Big Peppa won out, and we think that’s a great name.”
Two feet longer than its predecessor, Big Peppa will allow Bounty & Soul to transport more produce, which will help the organization keep pace with the growing needs.
“We used to source and distribute about 12,000 pounds of produce a week before COVID, and nowt that number is closer to 30,000 (pounds),” Casparian said. “So having a larger truck with a working refrigeration unit is something we really needed.”
She credits the volunteer work and financial contributions of the community for allowing Bounty & Soul to continue pursuing its mission.
“This is a beautiful example of how a community comes together around a cause that has such a big impact,” Casparian said. “It’s amazing.”