Alabama college opens free grocery store to combat food insecurity

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Although the shelves at Huffman Middle School’s new grocery store are stocked with staples like eggs, milk and bread, it’s far from your typical shopping trip.

The school opened its free grocery store to make it easier for families in the Huffman Middle School community to access the food they need. Principal Jeffrey Willis said he sees every day how hunger affects students’ ability to learn.

“When a child is hungry, when they haven’t had a meal, it affects that child in the classroom,” Willis said.

According to Willis, nearly 75 percent of families in the surrounding neighborhood live below the poverty line. The new grocery store, made possible through a partnership between Birmingham City Councilman Clinton Woods, Goodr and Birmingham City Schools, aims to change that.

Woods said this initiative is part of a larger effort to support students and their families beyond the classroom.

“We’ve all heard concerns and horror stories about students who might not eat three or four meals a day,” Woods said. “I think this pilot allows us to empower these young people to bring food home and ensure that meals are there.”

For families like that of Brenda Craig, who is raising two grandchildren who attend Huffman Middle School, the effects are already being felt.

“I’ve had a lot of situations where I had to choose to pay my bills and not be able to get the things they needed,” Craig said. “So this is going to help me a lot.”

All groceries are free, and families with children in school can sign up for the service through an online portal and schedule a time to visit the store.

Woods used $277,500 from the District 1 office under the American Rescue Plan Act to fund the pilot grocery store for the first two years. City leaders said if the pilot proves successful, they hope to expand and continue to supply more schools across the city.

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