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Bridging the Gap: Food Deserts Rampant in Poor Communities

If you were to break up the communities in your city or county by zip code, you would come to find that the zip codes with the most restricted access to fresh food tend to be uneducated, minority dense and disparagingly poor. This data is supported by a 2009 case study known as The Grocery Gap that analyzed the types of communities food deserts affect the most. Our own 32209 community, that Sponsored by Grace serves, has been referred to as a food desert by many of its residents as well as our executive director, Ron Armstrong.

“The Vista Landing apartment community (in the 32209 zip code) is essentially a food desert because there is a single convenience store and very few (of our residents) have cars.”

• Ron Armstrong, Sponsored by Grace Executive Director

It is no surprise to anyone who has lived in a low income rural or urban area to hear their community referred to as a “food desert.” However, those of us who were fortunate enough to live within a couple miles of a grocery store that had fresh fruits, vegetables and meat products most likely never understood or even considered the concept of a food desert. These communities without access to readily available fresh food do exist and are closer to our well-off communities than we realize.

Large grocery chains, such as Walmart, Winn Dixie or Publix, avoid building stores in these localities because the areas generally have high crime activity, and the residents do not act as a monetary incentive because of their extreme lack of funds. The unique combination of two primary factors will define an area as a food desert. One, the lack of a fresh food supermarket within a reasonable distance. Two, the inability of the residents to travel to the more distant supermarkets. The extreme poverty in these areas severely limits the mobility of the residents. Naturally, in cases of extreme poverty the most important needs, such as food and shelter, come before the need for transportation. If an individual is without a car in a food desert, then they are limited to whatever nutrition is within walking distance. Many poor urban areas have bus systems in order to combat this issue; however, not everyone in these poor urban areas can afford a bus pass, and even then, the amount of groceries one can carry while on us a bus is limited to a few bags at the most.

Food deserts are more rampant in communities near you than you most likely know because the  lack of personal transportation in these poor communities can create a food desert that essentially functions in a microcosm. Neighborhoods that you may drive past every day on your way to work could very well be food deserts for the residents living in them. Imagine the burden of having to walk to a supermarket to buy your fresh fruits, vegetables and meats and then carrying them all back. Even if the supermarket you frequent is only a mile away from your house, how often would you realistically want to go and pick up some groceries on foot? Through donations and volunteers, Sponsored by Grace seeks to improve areas that struggle with readily available access to fresh food, such as the 32209 zip code, through education and community involvement. By donating to SBG, you are supporting the betterment of a food desert in your very own city.

By: William Crockett IV