New community market opens in Alabama neighbourhood after 70 years
The We All Eat Market in Birmingham opened following a $1 million project led by a local farming cooperative.
The We All Eat Market opened in the Fountain Heights neighbourhood of Birmingham, Alabama, on November 7. According to the Times of India, the grocery store provides the area with its first local food outlet in nearly 70 years.
The project was developed by the Fountain Heights Farms Cooperative, which began in 2016 to build a sustainable food system. The cooperative grew from neighbourhood gardens into a network of 16 farm plots and aims to reach 119 plots by 2030.
The $1 million market is part of the Heart of the Farm facility at 1201 16th Street North, which includes a community kitchen. The cooperative raised $30,000 through grassroots contributions in 2021, while the city of Birmingham provided $150,000.
Christopher Gooden, co-founder of Fountain Heights Farms and manager of the market, said the idea arose from resident conversations about the lack of a grocery store. He noted that the cooperative could supply the area with produce.
The market will sell Alabama-grown meat, eggs, produce, and everyday grocery items. It will accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and participate in the Double Up Bucks programme, which offers a 50 per cent discount on certain produce to eligible customers.
Cooperative co-founder Dominique Villanueva said the organisation aims to offer affordable food that nourishes the community and supports health. The cooperative also plans to launch a delivery service called We All Eat Delivery.