A new Goodr grocery store, free to community members, now sits on the second floor of the William Walker Recreation Center in Southwest Atlanta (DorMiya Vance/WABE).
Officials within the City of Atlanta are continuing to make strides to address food insecurity, partnering with an Atlanta-based organization for a new food access installation.
Goodr, a food waste reduction company, opened a free grocery store inside the William Walker Recreation Center in Southwest Atlanta.
These stores are usually located inside of city schools, making the William Walker store the first of its kind among the fifteen stores in the metro Atlanta area.
At the center’s store, which opened earlier this month, residents can shop for nonperishable like cereal and canned goods. Fresh produce and frozen meats are also available in the shop.
According to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, only 76% of the Atlanta residents live within a half mile of fresh food.
“Studies and data and even science and just common sense tells us that there are a few basic building blocks for a community to be healthy and to be thriving,” Dickens said during the store’s opening ceremony. “A stable quality roof over their head … a village that supports you … and a full stomach.”
The Mayor’s office allocated $160,000 to support the operations of the William Walker installment. The move is part of a bigger multi-million-dollar investment to increase food access to metro residents.
Jasmine Crowe-Houston, CEO of Goodr, says the rec center shop will serve close to 100 families, with at least 40 of them being comprised of elderly residents.
“They don’t get more pension…so then they have to make critical sacrifices, sometimes choosing to pay for prescriptions over food,” she said.
“When I think of the fact that 40% of the people that will guaranteed be able to shop at this store every single month will be seniors, I hold that really near and dear to my heart.”
Florence Mitchell (right) grabs some syrup in the new Goodr grocery store inside William Wallker Rec Center while CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston aids other seniors with frozen goods (DorMiya Vance/WABE).
For regulars at the rec center, like Florence Mitchell, the addition of the store is a useful resource to her.
“I’m getting things that I normally don’t,” Mitchell explained. “I have to put back to make ends meet sometimes, and they’re all items that I’m going to use. It’s going to make my life a lot easier.”
Goodr’s William Walker rec center shop is now open to community residents. Any interested family can register to shop here.
