Councilwoman wants federal dollars to combat 'food deserts'

None — The White House has offered more than $400 million to help bring grocery stores to poor, urban areas across the U.S.

In Charlotte, a newly elected councilwoman is hoping to bring some of that money into the city. She said thousands of low-income residents have difficulty getting to a store that sells fresh food.

Charlotte resident Pauline Earle is one of those people. On a rainy weekday, she stood with her two grandchildren waiting to catch a bus to the grocery store.

"We got to walk to catch the bus. It's hard, really hard," she said.

Earle lives in southwest Charlotte near the airport, a part of town the federal government recently classified as a "food desert." That means her neighborhood has a high poverty rate and more than one-third of the residents live at least a mile away from a grocery store.

Belinda Davis lives in the same area and would like to have a grocery store closer to home.

"You got to go way across town just to get fresh food," she said.

City Councilwoman Lawanda Mayfield, who represents the area where Davis and Earle live, said the lack of grocery stores is a real problem.

"When you drive down these streets, there's a lot of fast food, almost no grocery stores. It is very troubling because, unfortunately, what that leads to is that fast food establishments become your main source of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Mayfield said.

According to the census, there are about 11,000 people in that part of Charlotte who don't have easy access to fresh meats and produce. At least 3,000 of them don't have access to a vehicle, including Davis.

"I have to wait for the bus or wait on someone to come and take me," Davis said.

From Davis' home, the Walmart Supercenter on Wilkinson Boulevard is the closest store that's selling a Thanksgiving turkey. It's a two-mile walk for Davis that takes 37 minutes.

For many of Davis' neighbors who are over age 65, the walk would take much longer, if they can make it at all.

Mayfield said she wants to ask the Department of Health for federal tax credits and low-rate loans to encourage another grocery store to move into the area.

Of the $400 million the federal government has allocated to bring grocery stores to low-income areas, $16 million has been handed out to 25 cities.

No money has been awarded to communities in North Carolina.

WSOC