Foodtown

Foodtown

Foodtown

Mount Vernon, New York

In Mount Vernon, New York, the state’s
Healthy Foods & Healthy Communities
(HFHC) Fund is helping to bring healthy
foods to the city’s downtown district, a
densely populated, lower-income area
where the majority of schoolchildren
qualify for free or reduced price school
meals. Foodtown is a full-service
supermarket located in this community
and with financing from the HFHC Fund,
the store’s owner, Esmail Mobarak, will
soon complete a full renovation of the
store to increase access to fresh foods
in the neighborhood. The renovation
will include the installation of energyefficient
lighting and equipment and
the expansion of Foodtown’s perishable
departments by 3,000 square feet
to accommodate a greater variety of
produce, fish and meat. These changes
to the physical layout of Foodtown
will expand Mobarak’s capacity to
serve his clientele and improve food
access for children and families in the
neighborhood.

IMPACT

• 18,000 square feet of improved/
expanded healthy food retail space
• 6,000 people served
• 50 jobs created or retained

HFHC PARTNERS

• Empire State Development Corporation
• Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
• New York State Department of
Agriculture and Markets
• New York State Health Foundation
• The Reinvestment Fund
• Low Income Investment Fund
• The Food Trust

DISSEMINATE INFORMATION

ABOUT THE PROBLEM

Compiling maps and research in a report and
broadly disseminating it to government officials
and other public and private sector leaders helps to
inform others about of the problem and serves as
a catalyst for change. By providing readers with an
overview of the issue, these materials make the case
that the public sector can—and must—address
the lack of access to healthy food in underserved
communities. The release of a report provides an
opportunity for community members to testify at
public hearings. Local leaders can also present the
issue to local legislatures to highlight the need for
more supermarkets and address shortages through
policy change. Public hearings show policymakers
that local community members are concerned about
the problem and that there is broad community
support for finding solutions.
Some keys to success for this phase include:
Find Reliable Data Sources
Finding reliable data sources can be difficult
and time consuming. You can reach out to
local researchers and partners in the academic
community who can help facilitate this process.
Public and proprietary health data (including
morbidity and mortality statistics) and supermarket
and demographic data can be collected or
purchased from a variety of sources, including
city and state health departments, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the United States
Department of Agriculture Food Atlas, the U.S.
Census and national retail databases compiled by
market research and demographics firms, such as
Nielsen Trade Dimensions.

Create Clear Maps

Mapping a community’s fresh food picture alongside
health and economic data paints a visual portrait of
need. It is important to ensure that maps are clear
and easy to understand. GIS maps can capture,
store, analyze, manage and present data with
reference to geographic location. You can partner
with a GIS mapper to add credibility and enhance
the quality of the maps created. The ideal partner is
someone who creates maps professionally, such as
in a mapping center or urban planning department
at a nearby university.