The role of school-based grocery stores: op-ed
This is a guest opinion column
Do you remember the hungriest you’ve ever been? Maybe it was after a long summer day spent running around the ballpark, or maybe it was on a field trip at school, and you forgot your lunch at home. Or maybe you’re one of the 7.3 million children in the United States who has dealt with food insecurity at home.
Now, imagine having to sit down and take a geometry test while your stomach is rumbling. You’re having trouble recalling what day it is, much less what you’ve learned in class. You’re not you when you’re hungry. That’s a fact, at least according to the popular candy bar Snickers.
Building equity in our communities, especially as it relates to food insecurity, means we must focus our efforts on creating pathways to healthy, affordable food options for families. It doesn’t matter what part of the Country you live in. I’m sure we’ve all heard stories, assertions, or concerns that there are students who may not get the basic three meals per day, not to mention the additional snacks and calories that children need to develop. It’s a problem that seems like it shouldn’t exist, but in many communities, it’s more likely a reality than not for some students. This gap can be further compounded in areas where food deserts exist.
According to a recent study published by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, almost 150,000 people in Birmingham live in a food desert. This accounts for roughly 75% of our city’s total population. Some households have the resources necessary to avoid feeling the impacts of life in a food desert, but many families don’t have that luxury.
During my tenure, the Mayor and City Council have taken significant steps to address food insecurity and promote access to healthy food options. In addition to investing millions of dollars in the recruitment, retention, and incentivization of grocers, one of our most notable achievements is the adoption of the “Healthy Food Ordinance.” This ordinance includes key measures to support grocery stores and fresh food producers. It restricts the establishment of “dollar” stores within a one-mile radius of an existing grocery store, helping to safeguard the viability of full-service grocers. Furthermore, it streamlines regulations for fresh food producers and lowers costs for grocery chains interested in opening locations within the city.
Partnerships with mobile grocery initiatives, such as those offered by Live HealthSmart Alabama and Mercy Deliverance Ministries, continue to bring healthy and affordable food options to central locations across Birmingham’s communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, which magnified the effects of food deserts, numerous food box and grocery giveaways were organized—many of which remain active today thanks to dedicated partners like the Northeast YMCA and Calvary Resurrection Christian Church in District 1.
In addition to these efforts, the arrival of key grocery stores has introduced new delivery options, bridging the gap between residents and essential resources. Brick-and-mortar stores such as Meat Depot, Publix, and Food Giant have celebrated openings across the city over the past decade. In 2023, the City Council further advanced these initiatives by approving an ordinance to allocate nearly $300,000 to establish a budget line item for a USDA grant. These funds, directed toward the Food Sovereign Program, will support the expansion of farmers markets in our area.
While these investments, partnerships, and grand openings represent significant progress, much work remains to be done.
Last month, my office took additional steps to address this problem and provide much-needed resources for students and their families in District 1. We have partnered with Goodr and Birmingham City Schools to develop an in-school grocery store at Huffman Middle School. Utilizing $277,500 of my office’s American Rescue Plan Act dollars, we will fund this pilot grocery store for the first two years.
This measure will allow families to shop for fresh produce, eggs, bread, pantry staples, and other goods for free. Families can fill up reusable shopping bags at no cost. They can register for this service through an online portal and set up a time to visit the store.
The Huffman Middle School grocery store will cover approximately 300 square feet and will operate during the school year. The specific details, such as hours of operation, will be determined through coordination between BCS and Goodr, but the store will accommodate 200 visits each month. If this program proves successful, we can duplicate this model in different parts of our city.
It’s been accomplished elsewhere, so why not here? Why not now?
I met Goodr CEO Jasmine Crowe in 2020 and was highly impressed with Goodr’s work, the partnerships they had developed, and their vision for the future. Over the last 3 years, I’ve had the opportunity to visit two Goodr Middle School grocery stores and one Goodr senior housing grocery store in Atlanta. I had the chance to see students and residents visit the store; I was able to speak with school administrators, teachers, and community partners about the execution and impact of each site. I walked away inspired and determined to help make an in-school grocery store a reality in Birmingham.
This is about more than feeding our students and their families. We want to make schools community hubs, safe places where knowledge, mentorships, personal growth, and lifelong friendships are cultivated. A study by the Learning Policy Institute shows that schools operating as community hubs often see increased attendance rates, with chronic absenteeism reduced by up to 15 percent.
A large part of our community has connectivity to a school, whether it be proximity, employment, or the education of a young child or relative. Schools represent some of our community’s largest and most up-to-date facilities; viewing schools as community hubs will offer a long-term return on investment. Research has shown that for every $1 invested in programs like in-school grocery stores, the return is estimated to be $10–$14 due to improved graduation rates, reduced criminal justice costs, and better health outcomes.
Even having one child go hungry is more than an individual tragedy. It’s a systemic shortfall that forces us to witness the unbridged gaps in equity, access, and compassion. Hunger is preventable, and its existence is a challenge to act — to build systems that care for every child, not as an obligation, but as a moral imperative.
Pervasive, systemic challenges demand bold, creative, and aggressive solutions; I am hopeful that this pilot initiative will significantly move the needle and drive meaningful change.
Clinton Woods is a Birmingham City Councilor representing District 1.
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