Atlantic City Launches Clever Plan To Battle Resident's "Food Insecurities"

Residents of this city are left with limited options for grocery shopping, either having to drive off the island to a mainland store, rely on public transportation, or resort to overpriced, understocked corner stores within the city.

Earlier this year, a highly publicized plan, backed by substantial subsidies, to construct the city's first supermarket in almost two decades fell through. In response to this, the state and a hospital system have launched a temporary solution: a converted school bus filled with fresh food available for purchase.

On Friday, Virtua Health introduced a modified transit bus to a low-income neighborhood in Atlantic City as part of its "Eat Well" program, which is funded by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. The initiative aims to provide high-quality food and fresh produce to economically disadvantaged areas that lack sufficient access to healthy food. Atlantic City ranks second among 50 New Jersey communities identified as "food deserts" due to their limited access to nutritious food.

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Delorese Butley-Whaley, a 62-year-old resident, expressed her delight at being able to board the bus and purchase a half-gallon of milk and a loaf of bread for a total of $3. "We don't have a real supermarket here," she said. "This is something we all need. I love this. It's really convenient. I was able to get everything I needed for the rest of the week right here."

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December 11, 2023

April Schetler, who oversees the program for Virtua Health, explained that it is designed to fill a portion of the void in communities without a real supermarket, like Atlantic City and Camden. All the food sold through the program is priced 30% to 50% below regular retail prices. There are no income restrictions on the program; anyone who shows up can shop.

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"We try to bake dignity into everything we do," Schetler said. "By not asking for financial information, we're providing a different experience. We come right to them, in their neighborhoods."

In November 2021, Governor Phil Murphy and other top elected officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new ShopRite supermarket that was to be built on vacant land near the casinos. The state was prepared to commit $19 million in public funds to see the project through. However, construction never began, and the project ultimately fell apart. The state announced earlier this year that it would seek new bids for another store.

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The Virtua food bus is one of two similar initiatives funded by the state with $5.5 million. AtlanticCare, another southern New Jersey hospital system, is adding a mobile grocery to its food pantry program, which will also include health education classes, cooking classes, and incentives to buy healthy foods.

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JoAnn Melton, a 42-year-old resident who also shops at a corner store, said, "People come here to have fun, they go to the casinos. But what about those that actually live here? We're just trying our best to live and raise a family."

She praised the grocery bus as "awesome," after purchasing dishwasher detergent, bleach, coffee, lemons, bananas, and bread, all for $16. "We really need this," she said. "This is good for us."