Rethinking the Corner Store

Originally published in September 2021

Small corner stores are often the only source of food for underserved communities. They may be the main source of groceries, yet they mainly stock processed foods that are high in calories, fat and salt. The Washington Post recently reported that dollar store profits are booming and the stores proliferating, writing, “With rising inflation and disproportionately high job losses among low-income earners, more Americans are relying on dollar stores for groceries and other everyday needs.”

In food deserts, where convenience store profits are rising, nutritional food is scare and quantities are shrinking, people are pushed toward unhealthy eating. A Better Chance, A Better Community (ABC2) in Enfield, NC has another idea: the Healthy Corner Store Initiative. Bethsaida and I visited with them in June to see all they were doing.

You Are What You Eat – Healthy living is a focus of their work with young people, in an area heavily impacted by poor health outcomes. Their executive director, Chester Williams, envisioned as a teenager that he wanted to empower young people by providing life skills to promote positive values, healthy habits and education, resulting in real life power. He calls them, “World Changers as Game Changers.”
ABC2 has partnered with local and state governments, farmers, community members and local grocery store owners. They conducted an assessment of all the local corner stores in Halifax County. Then they asked the community members what their needs were and asked farmers what they had to provide. ABC2 found that the corner stores wanted to sell cigarettes and liquor. But the youth organizers and community members pressured the corner stores to do more. Today there are three corner stores that sell healthy foods and fresh produce provided by local farmers.
Programs like this to improve the health of low-income communities and combat food deserts are vital. This coming year, ABC2 will aim to increase the number of grocery stores that sell fresh produce and healthy food. With the North Carolina Migrant Program, they are working on a Healthy Food Access Program.

This year’s theme for the August 12 International Youth Day, was “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health.” As ABC2 posted, “Such a global effort will not be achieved without the meaningful participation of young people.