Allied Drive’s ‘grocery initiative’ – WKOW 27: Madison, WI
MADISON (WKOW) — There’s a big push for healthier food options in one of Madison’s most impoverished neighborhoods.
Residents in the Allied Drive neighborhood say they have no grocery stores within walking distance.
That thought started the community’s own attempt to combat obesity.
The food options near Alice Howard’s Allied Drive home are McDonalds: or Walgreens.
Howard says, “One thing that’s cheap in this community is fast food. You can get a double cheeseburger for a dollar.”
The building that once housed Cub Foods near Allied Drive now sits empty. It closed in early 2009.
Megan Hall, a Community Health Intern working at the Allied Drive Wellness Center, says, “The Allied Drive neighborhood is called a food desert. There are no grocery stores within walking distance.”
Hall along with Allied Drive residents are taking it upon themselves to find healthy options.
Howard says, “Every community needs a grocery store… now we don’t have transportation to get to one.”
The owner of Fresh Madison Market, Jeff Maurer, was approached by a few residents, asking him to move into the vacant lot.
Maurer says, “I met with the neighborhood association and explained I thought it would be difficult for a retailer to go into that neighborhood in this economic environment. It was difficult for me even to get funding for this project downtown.”
Instead, Maurer found a different option. He’s running a free bus twice a week from Allied Drive to his store.
Neighbors say that’s a step in the right direction.
The next step is affording healthy food from a grocery store. Maurer does accept food stamps and WIC, but community members are also working on community gardens and more healthy options in food pantries.
Tuesday marked the first official grocery trip. The next visit is Friday at 6 p-m, then again next week.
