Charlottesville, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Residents gathered for the fourth meeting in the “Buy Back the Block” series to discuss the future of a grocery store at 501 Cherry Avenue. The project, spearheaded by the Cherry Ave. Grocery Community and Stakeholder Engagement Project, aims to address the lack of walkable access to fresh, affordable groceries in the historically Black neighborhood. 

Deanna McDonald, the project manager and founder of RN HEARTwork-Health Education Coaching and Consulting, emphasized the importance of community voices in shaping the project. “This community engagement project was designed to hear directly from the people who live and thrive in these spaces,” McDonald explained. “The Fifeville Association is a centerpiece of all of this community engagement. That group has done some amazing work.” 

Survey results presented at the meeting showed strong interest in the grocery store, with 75% of over 500 respondents expressing they would shop there if built. Proximity to home and work and a preference for a community-owned model were also key factors. “There has not been a grocery store, an actual grocery store, in that area for almost 20 years,” McDonald noted, highlighting the health disparities linked to the lack of access to healthy food options. 

Listen here for the full conversation: