WASHINGTON 鈥� At least 100 people marched through the streets of Southeast D.C. on Saturday, hoping to draw attention to the need for more grocery stores in Ward 8.
鈥淚t鈥檚 truly a food desert,鈥� said Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White.
While the city has allocated $400,000 to help co-ops and grocery stores get a foothold in the ward, White said more needs to be done.
鈥淔rom border to border, there鈥檚 only one full-service grocery store in Ward 8,鈥� said Troy Prestwood, chairman of the Advisory Neighborhood Comission 8A. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a problem.鈥�
Prestwood also said it鈥檚 an issue he鈥檚 been focused on for more than a decade, since he was in graduate school.
鈥淚 want better options, I want higher quality options,” he said. “I don鈥檛 care who brings it. It could be Giant, Safeway, Aldi; it doesn鈥檛 matter. We just want better options and higher quality options.鈥�
Considering how many people live in the ward, and that a Giant grocery store on Alabama Avenue is the only full-service grocery store nearby, Prestwood said, “It makes absolutely no sense.”
Walking with Prestwood was Arnehl Lyon, the president of the Hillsdale Civic Association. She admits to doing her grocery shopping outside of her Ward, west of the Anacostia River.
鈥淭he produce is phenomenal there,鈥� said Lyon. 鈥淭he cashiers are very polite. I like it there. But having to go there twice a week just to get fresh produce? That鈥檚 not good that I have to do that. I鈥檓 a walker 鈥� and I don鈥檛 have any problem walking when it鈥檚 a reasonable distance to the grocery store.鈥�
White hinted that progress is being made.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be opening up two new grocery stores in the ward in the next eight months,鈥� he vowed.
He was only willing to name one: a Good Food Market, whose mission is to open stores in food deserts. There is another location in Northeast D.C.
But White says the city can and must do more to encourage grocers to do business in Ward 8.
If all goes as he hopes, in 鈥渢wo to three years from now we have great grocery options with healthy food, affordable food, healthy lives, more healthier diets, just people living longer in our community.鈥�
鈥淏ring 鈥榚m,鈥� said Prestwood. 鈥淲e need more.鈥�
Lyon agrees, though she worries that some developers will try to pair a grocery store with high rise apartments in a section of Anacostia where single-family homes already exist.
鈥淚 support the grocery store, but we have to be mindful of the community,鈥� she said.
