Greater Goods, a free grocery store in Kensington, temporarily closes after apartment fire
Greater Goods, a free grocery store in Kensington, helps feed families in need, but it's now closed until further notice after an apartment above the store caught fire Saturday morning, and smoke activated the sprinkler system.
"It just started pouring rain in all three of our units," said Margaux Murphy, who opened the store in 2022. "I'm very worried about this next week, and hopefully it's not going to be more than a week."
CBS News Philadelphia's Wakisha Bailey first introduced us to Murphy in a 'Spreading The Love' segment last June. Murphy opened Greater Goods on Kensington Avenue to help families facing food insecurity. The free store is part of her non-profit, The Sunday Love Project, and it has a big impact in the community.
"We see about 110 to 150 people a day. Mondays are seniors only, so that's super important to us, it's the one day they don't have to wait outside," Murphy said.
Now, the store is waterlogged, part of the ceiling is damaged, the electricity has been turned off, and it's still unclear how much food has been lost.
"I pray they get back up and running as soon as possible," said Jazz Arvello, who shops at Greater Goods every two weeks.
Arvello says the store is a crucial resource that helps ensure her kids don't go hungry.
"It means a great difference because sometimes public assistance doesn't reach everything, so they help with the difference and it helps a lot," Arvello said.
Murphy was able to save meat, eggs, and other refrigerated items and distribute them in the community before the food spoiled.
She called the damage a setback but says her phone has been ringing off the hook with many people asking how they can help.
"There's so many beautiful people in the city and when there's a crisis we do come together," Murphy said. "I can't think of a time we asked for help and didn't receive it like ten times the amount I thought we were going to."
Murphy says her focus is on raising money to help the family whose apartment caught fire, and she is determined to get her store back open as soon as possible.
