By Lindsay Melvin - The Commercial Appeal -

For years, Pat Lacey felt privileged that she could drive outside South Memphis to do her grocery shopping.

Her neighbors who were elderly or didn't have cars weren't as fortunate.

Many subsisted on the fast-food joints and the meager selection at area convenience stores. But the creation of the South Memphis Farmers Market last year began the weekly ritual of farmers bringing fresh produce to a neighborhood long cut off from fruits and vegetables.

"It has been a blessing," Lacey said.

During the market's one-year celebration Thursday, organizers announced they had received a $250,000 grant from the Plough Foundation to construct a permanent farmers market facility.

The grant will help build an outdoor pavilion as well as a small indoor grocery and an educational cooking kitchen.

Set up outside the old Carter's Fish Market building, the market sits at the corner of Mississippi Boulevard and South Parkway.

The expansion is expected to be complete by May 2012, in time for the start of the farmers market season.

"This neighborhood is classified as a classic food desert," said Curtis Thomas, deputy executive director for The Works Inc., the nonprofit group that runs the market.

In a neighborhood not served by any major grocery, establishing a permanent structure and educational facility is a huge win, he said.

A farmers market was among many needs identified by community residents in the South Memphis Revitalization Action Plan.

For those without a car, the closest chain grocery from the market is a 45-minute bus ride, Thomas said.

That leaves a lot of people depending on food sold at gas stations and corner stores.

"In communities like this, there's really no choice. It's basically Cheetos and frozen burritos," he said.

The South Memphis Farmers Market has been applauded twice on the White House website for its success.

"We have been equally as successful as some suburban markets," Rev. Kenneth Robinson said to a sweat-soaked crowd that sucked on peaches and homemade Italian ice outside the makeshift tents covering the produce.

Robinson's church, St. Andrew AME Church, a large supporter of the market, donated the 3,200-square-foot space for the permanent facility.

The market served 7,500 customers in its first year and generated about $70,000 in sales for regional farmers, according to The Works data.

Feedback from the neighborhood on what the design of the permanent pavilion will look like and what the hours of operation will be is being collected by market coordinators.

A neighborhood meeting will be called for the final plan, Thomas said.

The long-term goal is to attract a full-scale grocery to South Memphis.

Thomas believes a small store with fresh produce will allow them to track how people in this neighborhood spend money on quality food.

"What (large chains) are scared of is the unknown. They think, there might not be a market," Thomas said. "We know there is and this will give us the data."

-- Lindsay Melvin: (901) 529-2445