A Black-owned grocery store has provided great relief to a town in Indiana.
Fox59 in Indianapolis, IN, reports Indy Fresh Market hosted a small opening for locals residing on the east side of Indiana.
The store, founded by Michael McFarland and Marckus Williams, will officially open its doors on Oct. 24, 2023, at 11 a.m. local time. Shoppers will also be able to select home delivery and in-store pickup services, per Wish-TV8 in Indianapolis.
The store will likely have great traction as more than 1,000 visitors were in attendance on Sept. 27, 2023, for the soft opening.
Many shoppers were deeply relieved to have the store in their neighborhood as they had relied heavily on gas stations to purchase food. The nearest gas station is three miles away, according to Wish-TV.
“It’s extremely important because people in communities like these often go feeling like they’re not being heard,” Zakiyah Parker, an inventory control clerk with Indy Fresh Market, told Fox59. “It’s not news that we needed a major grocery store in our community.”
Resident Greg Smith shared with Fox59, “This has been a food desert ,and it’s another place where people don’t have to go 5 or 6 miles or 10 or 15 miles to get food to eat.”
Aina Luster, another local explained to the outlet, “I live down the street about four blocks and I’m so glad to see a market. I am tired of running all over this town looking for anything.”
The Marion County grocery store is around three years in the making. Founders McFarland and Williams envision that they will plant more stores in food deserts throughout state.
“Feeding low-access and low-income citizens is a passion of mine,” Williams told Wish-TV.
What’s more the creation of the 16,772-square-foot store came to fruition in partnership with Goodwill Commercial Services through Cook Medical Group’s community revitalization plan, the outlet reports.
Indy Fresh Market is projected to boost the economic activity in the area by providing 100 jobs, a one-time economic impact of $11.1 million and $4.6 million annually in wages.
“As a Veteran of Foreign Wars, I have seen hunger and insecurity in many forms, and I will no longer be on the sidelines, especially in my neighborhood,” McFarland expressed, per Wish-TV.
