GREENSBORO, N.C. - It's an exciting time to be living in the Triad, especially in Greensboro, as the city kicks off initiatives to build and invest more. It’s happening in some of the most overlooked areas, most notably, in East Greensboro with the current to “#Invest East."
But all that growth doesn't happen, without addressing existing problems like food deserts. WFMY News 2 digs deeper into how the community and campuses are tackling these issues, head on.
Leaders says, investors are catching on - building up everything from places to live, and places to work, which means jobs, more people, and Council member Sharon Hightower says it means highlighting a place she holds dear.
“It's absolutely overlooked, and underutilized. People don't really realize what value is over there in East Greensboro: accessibility, the availability of land, all the exciting things that are going on,” she said.
But she says, that goes hand in hand with fulfilling a need for food.
“You can't have one without the other. If you're going to have people, you have to be able to feed them,” Hightower said, “We are still dealing with the food desert situation because of the fact that we still have issues with travel, as far as how to get to a grocery store.”
Over at North Carolina A&T State University, students are also passionate about issues of food insecurity.
“When people hear that Greensboro is a food desert, it kind of confuses them. Because right down the street with Summit we have every food option available,” said Nicole Gregory, a food and nutritional science senior.
She says, to combat a food desert, you need more healthy and nutritious options close by.
“Hunger has no face in the community. It looks like me, it looks like you. It looks like everyone you never know when the circumstances change where you might be in need,” said Gregory.
She's part of a university group starting up a food pantry on campus, focusing first on the Aggies, then, the community at large. In a release, NC A&T writes the school "has joined forces with Food Lion Feeds and North Carolina Campus Compact for a “Collegiate Challenge” to address hunger and food insecurity in the local East Greensboro community and throughout the state. The university will use the challenge as a kickoff to The Aggie Source, a student-run campus food pantry that will continue to serve the campus beyond the competition."
That kick-off is Wednesday at 11 am at Williams Dining Hall. The group will give out information about the competition, as well as the new food pantry and will collect non-perishable items that will be donated to a regional food bank. A portion of the kickoff will also benefit those affected by Hurricane Florence.
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