CLEVELAND — There's a big problem throughout several Cleveland neighborhoods when it comes to people having access to fresh food and produces.
But organizers are hopeful they're one step closer to solving this issue thanks to a new grant.
"It's an inconvenience, is what it is," said Elain Stremmet, a resident.
Before the former Dave's Market on Payne Avenue closed, Elaine Stremmet tells News 5 she would shop there a lot.
Then, when the store moved, she found herself in a challenging situation.
"I don't have a car, so you know I have to walk, and that's a long walk," said Stremmet.
While 61st Street and Chester might not seem far for those with a more convenient set of wheels, Stremmet says it can be a haul.
"I think for most people living in this neighborhood; it's an inconvenience. We really need shopping around here," said Stremmet. "We really do. We need another grocery store."
Because of desperate pleas from residents like Stremmet, the city's Central and Kinsman neighborhoods recently received a $300,000 grant to address the lack of fresh food and produce in the area.
"It's a big deal," said Public Health Director Dr. David Margolius. "This is a very prestigious grant. We're one of 13 cities throughout the country, and it's because of the local advocacy in Cleveland that we got this."
Margolius says the goal is to create an environment where people can grow, sell and buy their own food in a community co-op.
"It is about local distributors being able to bring food that they've grown in this neighborhood to people who live in this neighborhood," said Margolius.
Right now, Margolius says people have to shop at places like Family Dollar to get food if they don't have reliable transportation.
But when the food co-op comes this summer, he and Environmental Health Watch CEO Kim Foreman say it'll give people like Stremmet more access to healthy food.
"It's an opportunity to really demonstrate equity; it's an opportunity to demonstrate leadership of residents and support what they want to happen," said Stremmet.
Foreman understands the fight to bring food justice will take a collaborative effort. So at Rid-All Green Partnership, they hope their experience will help solve the problem.
"We think we have a lot of real-time data and experience related to why people want to eat healthy, how something like this can be successful in neighborhoods like Kinsman and Central, so we're just thrilled to be a part of this," said Rid-All Green Partnership Co-founder, Randell McShephard.
The program will last for three years. But organizers are hopeful more grants will come once it ends.
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
