Fountain Square will have its own community-based grocery store by harvest time 2011 if plans of the Pleasant Run Grocer Steering Committee come to fruition.
A membership drive and fund-raising campaign was recently launched to advance the food co-op effort, with the main goal being to provide affordable accessible products for residents of the Fountain Square area.
Steering Committee chair Jerald Keys said $2 million is the total startup cost for such a venture, with a more immediate goal being $1 million by spring 2011 to maintain adequate cash flow while the store gets off the ground.
No potential location for Pleasant Run Grocer has yet been identified, although Keys said the site will be within a mile of the heart of Fountain Square.
The concept of a food co-op started about two years ago with a study circle called by faith-based organizations to increase interaction between the urban Southeast side of town and suburban areas. Keys said the food co-op effort then developed into a separate project, very much based on input from Fountain Square-area residents, both well-to-do and lower-income.
A comprehensive survey of neighbors found that the number-one need was fresh fruit and vegetables, Keys said. That result, too, covered a broad demographic – from the more affluent who didn’t want to drive to the Far Northside to buy produce, to low-income people who had no local options at all. “Everyone wants better access to fresh produce,” Keys said.
Better access to healthy options is a major part of the play as well, he said. The idea is that profits made from fresh produce will be used to subsidize other essential items such as milk and eggs, making those products more affordable.
Other goals of the Pleasant Run Grocer will be to operate in an environmentally friendly manner, and to help promote nutrition and good health within the community through education.
Keys also believes the community-based effort is working to unite the diverse members of the Fountain Square neighborhood. “A goal is to bring people with more resources together with people with fewer resources – hoping that builds community.”
Keys said the Fountain Square group has been watching the progress of the food co-op effort on the Near Eastside, but that few comparisons can be found because of different demographics and goals. “We each have our own ideas – good ones,” he added.
He said the next few months will be dedicated to feasibility studies and development of a solid business plan. Once enough members are signed up, a board of directors will be elected.
“We are going to spend a lot of time on planning,” Keys said. “If you plan well, the money will come.”
For information about becoming a member of the food co-op effort, contact pleasantrungrocer@gmail.com.
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