Source: Colin Campbell, NEWS & OBSERVER, 12/31/19


A state grant program to put fresh produce in food deserts has struggled to sign up retailers and still has about $125,000 in unspent funds. The “Healthy Food Small Retailer Project” was created in 2016 to provide convenience stores in food deserts with coolers and other equipment to sell produce and other healthy items. Legislators have allocated about $700,000 over a three-year period, and so far the program has provided equipment to 11 stores, with five more in the works, according to a report on the program sent to lawmakers earlier this year.

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