ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – It’s been about one year since the Market on Melrose opened in Roanoke to tackle the issue of food insecurity and eliminate a food desert plaguing Northwest Roanoke for more than 40 years.
There are many ways to define a food desert, but the USDA describes it as an area with low access to affordable and nutritious food.
Specifically, it’s an urban area with a poverty rate higher than 20% with more than one-third of the population living more than a mile from a large grocery store or supermarket…