Since its founding in 2007 as a produce stand, Phat Beets Produce has sought ways to connect local farmers of color with underserved low-income communities that lack access to healthy, affordable food.

Now, the collective hopes to expand its reach by raising funds for what it calls a "Food Justice Food Truck" via IndieGoGo.

“Food trucks are very trendy,” said Carolina Abolio, head of Phat Beets' catering program, who referenced the success Off the Grid has had at the Oakland Museum of California.

“Off the Grid is still kind of on the grid," said Abolio, who added that "it can be very exclusive,” comparing the competition from so many food trucks together as akin to the pressures of the Broadway food scene.

Not to mention, the community Phat Beets is designed to serve are not usually in attendance at Off the Grid. “We want a 'new grid,'” said Abolio.

Despite Oakland's burgeoning dining scene, many neighborhoods remain food deserts where it is difficult to obtain fresh produce and other healthful foods. Phat Beets has struggled with addressing the needs of all Oaklanders without running afoul of regulation or inconveniencing its neighbors.

“The City of Oakland does not allow edibles to be planted without a conditional use permit,” wrote Phat Beets founder Max Cadji in an email to Hoodline. “We have done it many times, and we always have to fight to defend it year after year.”

This has been particularly tricky for Phat Beets Self Help Hunger Program, where publicly accessible plantings, such as fruit trees and collards, are available for anyone to harvest.

The organization had additional issues with the city earlier this year when their cob oven at Drivers Park was dismantled by Public Works. According to Abolio, a some residents have expressed complaints about safety and sanitation over large gatherings of homeless people.

To address some of these concerns and meet community needs without being tied to a fixed location, a food truck seemed a natural solution, said organizers.

The truck would provide locally sourced produce, either from Phat Beets growing locations at Dover Park and Castlemont High, or from farms within a fifty-mile radius of Oakland. The vehicle would be staffed by Oakland youth.

“You can’t talk about bringing food into communities without bringing jobs into communities,” Oakland chef and food justice advocate Bryant Terry said in a video posted on Phat Beets’ IndieGoGo page.

Abolio sees the further value of the truck as being able to provide education to a growing and changing Oakland. “It’s important to get the message out there,” said Abolio.

A native of Venzuela, Abolio began her own business, Miss Arepita, with a boost from Phat Beets’ business incubator. Abolio obtained a degree in Civil Engineering and did not have formal culinary education before starting with Phat Beets, but said the support she received was invaluable to her career.

It's not necessary to be native-born to Oakland to love and serve the city, Abolio said. “We are not Oaklanders, but in our heart we have oak growing.”