Corner stores in NE Denver part of pilot program for food deserts, By Colleen O’Connor, October 14, 2014, Denver Post: “Hip-hop artist Kingpen Ken stops by the Gem Food Mart in his northeast Denver neighborhood on the way to the recording studio, and plunks down two bottles of water and an orange juice on the counter. ‘It’s just better to eat healthy things before you go to the studio,’ he said. ‘It’s better energy for the day. If you eat candy, it’s weird energy all day.’ This colorful corner store, painted orange and lime green, sits at the intersection of East 30th Avenue and Downing Street in the Whittier neighborhood, which is considered a food desert, far from a full-service grocer. It’s one of five corner stores in a pilot program called the Healthy Corner Store Initiative, started in August by the city and county of Denver’s Department of Environmental Health, and funded by a grant of more than $327,000 from the Colorado Health Foundation…”
Tag: Food deserts
Food Deserts – Wichita, KS
Low-income Wichitans face barriers in finding healthier foods, By Becky Tanner, October 6, 2014, Wichita Eagle: “A new study released by the Health & Wellness Coalition of Wichita has found specific barriers preventing Wichitans in three ZIP codes from buying healthier foods. Last year, the coalition discovered 44 square miles in Wichita considered food deserts — areas where low-income residents have little to no access to healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and who live more than a mile from a full-service grocery store. The new report, released last week, uncovers six barriers that affect those residents: cost, quality, transportation, stores, sources and personal…”
Farmers Markets and SNAP – California
New $2.5-million grant will help poor buy fresh, locally grown produce, By Russ Parsons, May 8, 2014, Los Angeles Times: “Market Match, an innovative program that aims to increase the amount of fresh produce available to low-income families by providing them matching funds to shop at farmers markets, has received a $2.5-million grant from First 5 L.A. that may as much as triple its reach over the next five years. The program provides a dollar-for-dollar match for all EBT and WIC recipients, up to $10 per week. The program has grown rapidly over the last four years, but this grant will allow it to expand its reach and standardize what previously had sometimes been a hodgepodge of rules and benefits…”