Grocery Stores Opening in South Bend Food Deserts

Two grocery stores are opening in South Bend, Indiana, home to Notre Dame and no fewer than seven food deserts.

March 06, 2014

SOUTH BEND, IN – In addition to being home for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana has another distinction: It is home to no fewer than seven food deserts, areas where residents live more than one mile from the nearest grocery store. But that number is dropping, as grocery stores have begun opening in the city’s food deserts, WSBT reports.

An empty building in LaSalle Square on North Bendix Drive will soon house a grocery store that serves the city’s west side. Called "The Eating Well," the store will open later this year.

"Residents in this area don't have access to fresh, healthy, affordable food, and we want to fill that void," said Jerry Niezgodski, president of The Eating Well's board of directors.

Meanwhile, on the city’s East Bank, co-op grocery store Purple Porch just opened last Tuesday.

"Early on in the process, we really determined that we wanted to be in downtown South Bend. We felt like there was a lack of fresh food downtown," said general manager Greg Koehler, noting its customers will pay for their produce with SNAP benefits.

South Bend will need to attract other grocery stores to service a population that is desperate for fresh food. Including those in South Bend, St. Joseph County has 11 food deserts, the highest number of any county in its area. As a result, at least 20% of the families in those areas are more than one mile from the nearest supermarket.

"People have to travel two-and-a-half miles north, roughly, two-and-a-half miles south, just to get access to fresh, affordable quality food," Niezgodski said.

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