Community leaders and elected officials gathered on Saturday, Dec. 20, to call attention to what they described as food apartheid in Metcalfe Park and welcome residents to the new community-led food pantry aiming to improve food access following the closure of the neighborhood’s only grocery store.
The press conference, hosted by Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, marks five months since the closure of the 35th Street Pick ‘n Save.
Officials who spoke framed the grocery store closure as part of a broader pattern of grocery and pharmacy redlining and called for coordinated action at the city, county and state levels to prevent future closures and invest in community-driven food access…