YOUNGSTOWN — If you can’t bring some of the people to the grocery store, bring the grocery store to some of the people.

“A lot of kids (in Youngstown) are living off Beef Jerkys and candy bars at gas stations,” said Phil Bechtel, director of Access to Healthy Foods Mahoning Valley.

Children and adults throughout much of the Mahoning Valley will soon be able to improve their diets and have improved access to more healthy food choices, however. That’s because of the new Mahoning Valley Mobile Market, which was the centerpiece of Tuesday afternoon’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Byzantine Center at the Grove on the South Side.

The vehicle, which will resemble a traveling grocery store, is to begin operating twice weekly May 10 and serve many people who live in areas that lack access to healthy foods. It also promises to be a major boon to those who have little or no transportation to major grocery stores, Bechtel said.

Launching the traveling market are the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods (ACTION), a faith-based community organizing group, and Flying High Inc., a 28-year-old nonprofit organization with a variety of programs aimed at improving the quality of life in the region.

For about three years, ACTION and Flying High have set up pop-up markets throughout the Valley that served as the inspiration for the traveling grocery store, organizers said. The markets operate weekly from June to September.

Another goal is to bring the vehicle to senior-living facilities and high-rise apartment buildings, many residents of which have limited income and transportation, Bechtel said. He added a truck also will travel to area restaurants as well as institutions such as prisons, schools and rehabilitation centers.

Inside the mobile market are four freezers and four refrigerators for foods such as milk, eggs, meats and poultry, along with numerous wooden crates for fresh produce, fruits and vegetables. A variety of pantry staples also will be available.

Jeff Macara, Flying High’s director, said the produce is grown mainly at an urban farm. The Mineral Ridge-based Campus of Care building will be used to store, package and distribute the items, he said.

Vicki Vicars, pastoral minister with Youngstown-based St. Patrick Catholic Church, said about $288,000 in donations have been made since she wrote a grant and the initial funding letter was sent out last summer.

Also, Mahoning County commissioners approved an additional $150,000 to go toward 500 vouchers. Eligible Mahoning County residents can apply for 12 $25 vouchers, each of which can be used monthly for a year, she said.

To be eligible, recipients must live in Mahoning County and be under 200 percent of federal poverty levels, Vicars said, adding she hopes to generate the funds to launch such a program in Trumbull County.

Besides the vouchers, the mobile market will accept other forms of payment, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Women, Infants and Children; and Senior Produce Perks.

“This is a humbling moment,” said Rose Carter, ACTION’s executive director. “This highlights our mission to inspire passion for ACTION to seek solutions to overcome social injustices, racism and poverty.”

After the event, the center hosted ACTION’S 19th annual banquet and awards ceremony, at which the keynote speaker was the Rev. Todd Johnson, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Warren.

Those who received the Frances Kerpsack Award for their contributions to the community were the Rev. Kenneth L. Simon, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Youngstown; Thomas D. Sauline, the Mahoning Valley Association of Church’s director; Sharon Letson, Youngstown CityScape’s executive director; and Brandon Perry of City Kids Care.

Pathfinders Awards were given to city Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, and one of the Youngstown Police Department’s first black female officers; and the Rev. Jim Ray, a longtime civil rights and community activist.

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