Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina has opened the Goodwill Community Cupboard, a 7,600-square-foot food market at 150 South 5th St. in Aurora, North Carolina, bringing fresh food retail to a rural Beaufort County community whose residents have had to travel long distances for healthy groceries.
The market, which opened Sept. 10 at the Brantley Tillman Opportunity Center, joins a widening movement of nonprofit organizations stepping into grocery operations in communities conventional retail has left behind, a trend gaining structure nationally as programs from ministries to trade groups develop replicable models for food desert stores.
Fresh food at retail prices
Part of GIENC’s Goodwill Feeds initiative, the Community Cupboard offers healthful foods at reasonable prices, including fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins, non-perishable foods and additional staples. The program weaves together the organization’s three mission pillars, education, employment and life enrichment, with goals of reducing food deserts in eastern North Carolina and removing barriers to economic success.
“A growing body of research confirms that equitable access to food, education, and employment opportunities serves as a vital cornerstone of community wellness,” said Christopher Hash, GIENC president and CEO. “When families have more reliable access to healthy food, children are better equipped to learn, adults are more reliable at work, and seniors can remain independent longer.”
Aurora and surrounding Richland Township meet the USDA’s rural food desert criteria, under which a significant share of residents lives more than 10 miles from a supermarket or large grocery store.
Beyond the grocery aisles
The market also houses a community room focused on STEAM-related activities, and GIENC supports Beaufort County more broadly through workforce development programs, Goodwill Feeds distributions, an employment program and donation center in Washington, North Carolina, and grants to local nonprofits.
The opportunity center housing the market honors Brantley Tillman’s more than 40 years of volunteer service to GIENC, including 20 years on its board of directors. The Community Cupboard joins other Goodwill Feeds efforts including a partnership with the nonprofit organization Table, expanding the Chefs@Home food-kit program for food-insecure school children in Orange County.
For more than 62 years, GIENC has served eastern North Carolina, operating 43 employment program centers in 51 counties, with proceeds from its stores funding community grants, food insecurity efforts, workforce development and educational resources.
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