“Gus the Bus” Hits the Road

With a commitment to see that no one in the Greater Seacoast area goes hungry, Gather has been using a retrofitted city bus to reach those in need who aren’t being served through traditional mobile markets. The 40-foot bus was purchased with a grant from the NH Community Development Finance Authority. C&J Bus Lines retrofitted the bus, known as Gus, adding coolers, refrigerators, and electricity. The refrigeration runs on an alternator while in transit. When parked, it can plug into an outlet.

Addressing transportation justice, the bus brings food to communities where a mobile market isn’t practical, assuring Gather members have access to nutritious food wherever they live.

“Doing mobile markets where we have to set up tents, food tables, coolers, etc. is time-consuming and not productive in smaller markets,” says Liam Lundt, Gather’s Director of Operations. “We knew there was a better way and thought ‘What if we had something that was stocked and covered?’ The bus has been a great solution for those areas with limited access. Even if we only serve 10 people at a stop, that’s 10 more people we’re serving.”

Affectionately called Gus, the bus can support approximately 60 people before it must be restocked. Presently, stops include Woodbury Manor and Atlantic Heights in Portsmouth as well as Avesta in Hampton Falls, the Hampton municipal lot, and Kittery’s Meals 4 Kids program, whose stop is at the Kittery Post Office.

Alberta, a resident of the Atlantic Heights senior housing complex, says the bus doesn’t take the place of going to one of Gather’s markets, but it adds an important dimension, especially when she runs out of milk and eggs and fresh vegetables. “It’s all laid out beautifully,” she adds. “It’s very convenient.”

Bus driver Jill Jones worked as a school bus driver for over 20 years before coming to Gather. Of the two stops in Portsmouth where she serves about 20 people at each, Jones says, “All of the residents there are very excited and so appreciative when I come. They are always quick to thank me a dozen times.”