LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky and Compass Group are partnering to launch a mobile food initiative aimed at bringing fresh meals, health education and community resources to all 120 counties across the Commonwealth.
The program, called “Food Force One,” will deploy two mobile food trucks designed to extend the university’s reach beyond campus into underserved communities. The initiative emerged from UK’s broader Enterprise Services Partnership with Compass Group, a long-term agreement aimed at improving coordination across the university’s campus, healthcare and athletics operations.
“We exist to serve Kentucky and this initiative puts our mission into action,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “By taking our work and our knowledge beyond campus and into our communities, we’re connecting people to the resources, education and support that can make a meaningful difference in their lives.”
The trucks will function as mobile platforms for collaboration between UK’s healthcare, Cooperative Extension Services and community engagement programs. They will provide community outreach events, nutrition education demonstrations, emergency response support during community crises, and partnerships with local producers, university officials said.
Blair Choate, a senior vice president with Compass Group, said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to addressing food access challenges while supporting Kentucky agriculture. “Strong communities are built on access — access to nutritious food, education and resources that support health and well-being,” Choate said.
Officials from UK’s College of Medicine and College of Dentistry highlighted the public health potential of the mobile units. College of Medicine Dean Chipper Griffith noted that nutritious food access is foundational to health outcomes, while College of Dentistry Dean Jeffrey P. Okeson said Food Force One would extend the university’s efforts to improve oral health education across the state.
The partnership represents one of the most comprehensive service partnerships in higher education and health care, officials said. Compass Group is not new to Kentucky; the company already employs more than 1,400 people supporting UK HealthCare and other institutions across the state.
UK and Compass Group plan to finalize the contract by July 2026. The partnership also includes commitments to preserve current employee jobs, reduce student meal plan prices by 5 percent for the upcoming academic year, and lower concession prices at athletic events starting with football season.
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from University of Kentucky News, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/through-partnership-uk-compass-group-launch-mobile-food-initiative-serve-kentucky.
