photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Lawrence Transit's Central Station, 2315 Bob Billings Parkway, is pictured Monday, Oct. 16, 2023.

Twice a month, bus riders in Lawrence who stop at Central Station can pick up their groceries while they’re there, thanks to a partnership with food banks Just Food and Harvesters that’s served more than 200 households so far.

The program, called “Thriving Thursdays,” has been distributing food since late last year at Central Station, 2315 Bob Billings Parkway, on the second and third Thursdays of each month, and the nonprofits say it’s helped them serve a lot of people they otherwise wouldn’t have reached. Since its inception, the partnership has served a total of 210 households, according to a news release from the City of Lawrence.

It was Dre’Vel Taylor, who works with Kansas Mobility Management to help improve transportation services in Douglas County, who pitched the idea of distributing food at the station, he told the Journal-World via email. He had been working with the Community Health Improvement Plan Steering Committee, and was looking for new ways to connect nonprofit agencies to each other and to the people who need them.

“I was able to pitch the idea of bringing the resources to where people are already at, instead of them having to find time and transportation to go to them,” Taylor said.

Taylor said Just Food and Harvesters were interested in the idea, because both already had mobile food distribution operations. On Thriving Thursdays, either Just Food or Harvesters stops at Central Station from 3 to 5 p.m. to distribute food. Each nonprofit has a presence at the event once a month.

Aundrea Walker, the executive director of Just Food, said in the release that the program allows the food bank to get fresh and healthy food to more people.

“We’re building a future where everyone has what they need to thrive,” Walker said.

Taylor said that bus riders who’ve used the program have enjoyed the convenience of being able to “grab what they need” on their evening commute. The fact that both Just Food and Harvesters are choice-oriented food banks means that people can choose exactly what and how much food they need. Taylor also said that the convenience of these distribution days and the fact that they don’t take place in a food bank setting helps reduce the stigma of using a food bank, meaning more people are getting help they need for the first time.

“We are reaching people who have never utilized either of these resources before,” Taylor said.

Danon Hare, the food security programs manager for Harvesters, said in the release that the nonprofit provides not just grocery items, but also information like how to get SNAP benefits that can help riders in the long term.

Hare said it is a joy to partner with the transit service, and that the events have fostered an “intimate community” and built trust with clients.

“(Lawrence Transit) staff is enthusiastic to share this opportunity with anyone who could fully utilize this resource,” Hare said.