Detroit Green Grocer Program helps bridge gap of food insecurity in neighborhoods
A local program in Detroit is giving small business owners the opportunity to open grocery stores in neighborhoods across the city.
On Detroit's west side near Prevost and Fenkel Streets sits Micah's Market, a newly opened grocery store offering fresh produce, meats, dairy and essentials at affordable prices to the Crary/St. Mary's neighborhood.
"When I just looked at the prices in here, it make me want to come back every day," said customer Marie Hill.
"I don't have to get in the car and go nowhere. I can just come right up the street and pick up some items at a discount," said customer Chandra Addison.
The market is the second store this year to open through the city's Green Grocer Program, which provides grants of up to $25,000 to entrepreneurs wanting to open small grocery stores in neighborhoods across Detroit.
"It's the affordability here for us. You can definitely come here and feed a family for under twenty bucks," said Micah's Market owner Jacqueline Cook.
Cook tells CBS News Detroit that she's worked for years to fight food insecurity by handing out food to thousands of families every week. Micah's Market is her passion made possible.
"Once they gave me the opportunity, I jumped at it. I'm just trying to meet the needs of the community with inexpensive prices," Cook said.
Mariangela "Mimi" Pledl, director of Detroit Economic Growth Corporation's Food Access, says the program aims to bridge the gap of food insecurity by making food more accessible.
"The reality is that most Detroiters are more than a mile from a grocery store. We've listened to Detroiters through surveys and listening sessions, and they basically said to us, 'We want to be able to walk to a store.' Our concern is really just that people can access healthy, fresh, affordable food in their neighborhoods," said Pledl.
The city says at least six grocery stores will open in various neighborhoods by the end of the year through the Green Grocer Program.
