When Goodr, a sustainable food waste solution company founded by Jasmine Crowe-Houston in 2017, partnered with Invest Atlanta to open The Community Market, they essentially helped make IVillage@MLK a new hub for health and wellness. Located at the Hamilton E. Holmes MARTA Station, it has the potential to become a catalyst that sparks change in the health outcomes of that neighborhood for years to come.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that residents in the area had a higher-than-average incidence of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. But at the same time, a study by the Atlanta Regional Commission found that some residents reported limited access to healthy food options while others couldn’t afford them. It’s the same catch-22 we see in every urban neighborhood. Unhealthy food is cheaper and at our fingertips. But this program seeks to combat those norms.
The Community Market is spearheaded with a commitment of $1 million from the City of Atlanta’s Economic Opportunity Fund-Food Access. It is anchored by a Goodr Grocery store, one of Goodr’s Core Relief Hunger Solutions, which invites 300 local families in District 10 to shop each month at no cost. However, the goal is to give them access to fresh produce, meat, and shelf-stable goods and the ability to shop with dignity. District 10 City Council member Andrea Boone and other leaders in Fulton County will work together to identify families. As the program gets its footing, Goodr is optimistic that it can increase the number of families it can accommodate by year two.
But the project’s genius is that they didn’t stop at the grocery store alone.
“There are a lot of Black people in our community that need access to health resources and education. We are grateful to have partners excited to work with us and provide better resources to our community,” Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Goodr’s Founder and CEO, says. “Goodr has leveraged existing partnerships with organizations such as Grady Hospital, the American Heart Association, and Eat Urban Fresh. These partnerships will provide monthly resources such as healthcare screenings and healthy meal preparation.”
However, the holistic approach to the project gives us even more hope for its success. Goodr goes beyond providing the neighborhood access to healthy food and teaching folks how to prepare meals, offering preventative screenings and one of our favorite parts, a wellness room. “Goodr has also included a “wellness room” that allows a safe space for people to meditate or decompress,” Crowe-Houston explains. “Our goal is to normalize taking care of not only your physical health but also your mental health.”
