BALTIMORE — Price Rite was many people's go to grocery store in Southwest and West Baltimore.
People say it's one of the only nearby grocery stores in their area, which is why residents are upset its closing down. Community members voiced their concerns in a virtual meeting.
RELATED: Price Rite closing in SW Baltimore, nearest grocery store a mile away
WMAR-2 News spoke with one resident, Howard Summers. He explained how people already consider much of Southwest and West Baltimore a food desert.
He says how there's hardly grocery stores in the area, and if Price Rite closes it’ll take away resources from families, because some people in the community don't have a car.
"I feel kind of bad because I like to come here because they have what you want. And, you know, the price it's nice and I would just hate to see that because anytime a building closes down it makes the neighborhood more vacant," said Summers.
Another resident, Freeman Covington, shares the same frustration. He's been going to Price Rite for years and didn't know it was closing down.
He said there was no warning or notice from the store about their doors closing next month. He explained how Price Rite is convenient for him and the community because it's walkable, but now Covington isn't sure what to do.
"Where we gonna go get our nice vegetables and fresh produce? I don't know how the store can close down when there's a thriving community. There is a community here," said Covington.
Southwest Partnership Neighborhood Group held an emergency community meeting Tuesday night, where community leaders and residents discussed strategies and timelines for a new grocery store.
Councilman Porter says she's working on a few short-term solutions. One, is to get the South Baltimore gateway partnership funds to provide Lyft's to residents who need groceries, but don't have access to transportation.
Two, is to get a letter of intent from a grocer by the end of the year, and lastly is expanding the capacity of mobile trucks to bring fresh fruits and vegetables directly into neighborhoods.
The councilwoman says she plans to implement some of these strategies in the next two weeks.
