BALTIMORE — Getting groceries will become more difficult for some families in Edmondson Village. Giant foods in the Edmondson Square Shopping Center is closing June 13th.
“It's bad, it's bad. In our neighborhoods, in our black neighborhoods they’re taking resources that people need. I mean a market, a Giant at that. We didn’t hear about anything being replaced. How many chicken box stores can you have. They don’t fill prescriptions. We don’t have local pharmacies in the neighborhood like we used to,” said Andeidra Bell Bunch, a Baltimore city resident.
Bunch is the owner of Cupsey Cakesy. She's working with Borden Transportation to offer a free shuttle service to transport people to the nearest supermarket.
"This is a labor of love because this is my community. I grew up here. This impacts me and my family, my parents are older. This is a walking neighborhood, there’s a lot of elderly people who no longer drive,” says Bunch.
People are being referred to the remodeled giant's store on Wilkens Avenue in the Wilkens Beltway Plaza. However, Bunch says that’s still an inconvenience for people without transportation.
"Well basically, we're in a food desert. If you take out half of the carry outs. That market is all we had. Fresh groceries, vegetables, older people getting their prescriptions. Now that has moved further up to route 40 or the closest other market is West Side Shopping Center," says Bunch.
Around 146,000 Baltimore residents live in a food desert, that's over a quarter of the city’s population.
"We need to support each other, because this is our community. Nobody is going to care about it like we do. So instead of complaining about it, we need to find solutions. So that’s why I’m here,” says Bunch.
The free shuttle service starts June 28th. Bunch says anyone looking for a ride to the grocery store can meet in the Edmondson Square parking lot. You can make an appointment by calling 410-258-5438.