“It's more than groceries,” Dickens said. “It can be a lifeline for families who can take advantage of the services we can provide here.”
According to a Goodr news release, 300 local families will receive regular monthly food supplies from the market. This startup received a $1 million grant from the city of Atlanta for the community market.
Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Goodr spokeswoman Nancy Byron said people in the area's 30311 ZIP code have higher than average rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
The Atlanta Regional Commission found that 23% of the region's residents have limited access to healthy food and 31% cannot afford it, she wrote in an email.
Goodr partnered with Invest Atlanta to launch. Wraparound services will be offered through a partnership with Grady Memorial Hospital, American Heart Association, Wells Fargo and Eat Urban Fresh, according to a news release.
District 10 City Councilmember Andrea L. Boone and Invest Atlanta's Senior Vice President of Economic Development Noah Downer also spoke before the ribbon cutting.
Goodr and its founder and CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston said the iVillage store is the company's 25th location. Before starting Goodr, the founders cooked and prepared food to help homeless people, and then expanded on that idea with food donations.
The startup typically serves schools and the elderly, offering free meals at pop-up restaurants across the city. She said this is the first time she's expanded her business to serve a larger community.
“Guder's mission has always been to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, nutritious, and accessible food, regardless of their economic situation or where they live. “We believe that your life expectancy should not be determined by your life expectancy. But we know that to be true when you don't have access to food,” she said.
In recent years, the city has taken steps to reduce food insecurity and food deserts. In 2015, just over half of the city's residents lived within a half-mile of a grocery store offering fresh food, which rose to 75% of residents in 2020, according to the city's Fresh Food Access Report.
By 2025, Dickens wants 85% of residents to have healthy and affordable food options nearby.
Crowe-Houston said in an interview that there is a link between affordable housing and food insecurity because people may have to sacrifice food to pay rent. She said community markets could help fill this gap.
“What we hope is that this will give families seven to 10 days worth of food, so they can save money that they would have spent at the supermarket and put it towards other things. “It became,” she said.
