Where Denver Avenue abuts the Inner Dispersal Loop in downtown Tulsa lies the former location of one of the area’s last full-service grocery stores — a Homeland that closed in the early 2000s.
Its demise was part of the company’s nationwide reorganization plan, but the closure had a distinctly local impact. Downtown residents were left without a nutritious grocery option, effectively making the area a food desert. That’s typically defined as an area where residents have little access to nutritious and affordable food options.
Downtown isn’t the only area struggling with the problem. Nearly 1 in 5 Tulsa County residents live in a food desert and 45% live in low-access areas, which is especially a threat to seniors and children with nutrition deficiencies…