I am always delighted by the opportunity to travel, to explore new places, taste new food, click my phone into airplane mode and be absolutely unreachable until I land.
On my most recent trip, I reignited my fascination with vending machines.
More than a dozen years ago, the Sprinkles Cupcake vending machine tickled my taste buds and my fancy.
This time through O’Hare, a Lego vending machine stopped me in my tracks. I mean, come on! How cool is this world we live in? I know two little people who would have scanned that machine like their favorite video game, scrolling through options and yelling about how they can’t believe it! I channeled them as I visited that machine and said to perfect strangers, “A Lego vending machine? How cool is this!”
I can’t say the little boys would have been as excited as I was by the next vending machine I visited, the Farmer’s Fridge, but I was thrilled enough for all of us. A vending machine for farm-to-table deliciousness like salads, power bowls and yogurt parfaits? Count me in.
I found a quiet spot to enjoy my loot and read a little more about Farmer’s Fridge while I waited for my connecting flight. Founded by a traveling salesman ten years ago, the company aims to make fruits and vegetables accessible and approachable for everyone. From January 20 to May 20 this year, Farmer’s Family is supporting Feeding America®️. For every meal purchased, the company will donate the equivalent of one meal to a local Feeding America member food bank, up to 1.5 million meals.
They have made their way into Wisconsin and you can find Farmer’s Fridges on college campuses, in hospitals and private businesses all over Milwaukee and Madison. I’m hoping they come to the Fox Valley very soon.
I thought about showing up with a couple of vending machine salads or even some cupcakes for my little chargers when I got back home, but I went with Legos instead.
They were thrilled.
