'America's Playground' Is Now The Epicenter Of A Food Desert
Behind the glimmering image of a city built on luxury and excess lies a neighborhood where finding something as basic as fresh fruit or a loaf of bread has become a daily battle.
The city, nicknamed America's Playground, is a seaside escape of flashy casinos, celebrity-chef dining establishments and endless buffets that drew 24 million tourists in 2024, according to the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. Last year alone, betting operators generated $5.8 billion.
But in the shadow of the boardwalk's neon lights, the city's 38,000 homeowners face a grim reality: Atlantic City has not had a proper full-service supermarket in nearly 28 years, and it now ranks as New Jersey's second-worst food desert, according to a 2022 state research study by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
'Atlantic City doesn't have a grocery store which's undesirable,' Mike Suleiman of South Jersey Forward, a regional think tank that studied food insecurity in the location, informed WHYY.org. 'It's essential for the city to designate somebody for food insecurity.'
For numerous locals, the simple act of grocery shopping turns into a difficult journey, from bus rides over bridges to costly Ubers, or counting on the compassion of relatives.
'Fresh fruits, fresh veggies, chicken, meats ... you can't truly get that at the corner stores, at the little bodegas, but that's mostly all we have here,' Ori Reyes, a teen who has invested her life making the 18-mile trek with her household to a Walmart in Egg Harbor Township, told NJ.com.
'Usually, to discover healthy food that's budget friendly, you don't have much of an alternative, you need to go to other towns.'
Only 13 percent of households in the Atlantic City-Hammonton location own a car, 2021 U.S. Census data programs.
Food insecurity has left Atlantic City ranked among the worst food deserts in New Jersey
Atlantic City is referred to as America's Playground with its beaches, fairground trips and casinos
Families currently having a hard time to discover fresh food in Atlantic City say reductions to SNAP benefits might push many much deeper into appetite
Despite billions flowing through Atlantic City's casinos and tourist restaurants each year, citizens say they can't even purchase fresh groceries in their own city
For homeowners like Rosetta Butler, a 58-year-old who resides in the Atlantic Marina real estate complex, redemption can be found in the form of a 40-foot converted bus.
Operated by Virtua Health, the 'Eat Well' mobile grocery store pulls into her block on Fridays.
'This right here, it's a godsend,' she told NJ.com, flaunting a bag filled with bread, peanut butter, and veggies.
'It's a truly huge blessing for people like me, who can't make it to the market quickly ... you know, for people who can't drive, are older, or have health issues.'
In 2021, officials collected for a victorious groundbreaking of an $18.7 million ShopRite supermarket at Baltic and Indiana Avenues. Governor Phil Murphy hailed it as a turning point.
But within a year, the deal collapsed. The operator, Village Super Market, pulled out after the Casino Redevelopment Investment Authority (CRDA) rejected its demand for aids. Residents were left blindsided.
'Not having a supermarket after telling locals there would be one is ravaging,' Mayor Marty Small Sr. told NJ.com. 'But our grocery store dreams are just delayed, not dead. We continue to strive to find a permanent service.'
Advocates warn that looming cuts to federal food help (SNAP) might deepen the crisis.
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Community groups and mobile markets are actioning in to supply fruit, vegetables, and dairy to struggling families (Pictured: Event offering social services to homeless veterans at All Wars Memorial Building, in Atlantic City Wednesday May 17, 2017)
Nonprofits and churches are feeding hundreds every week as need for assistance continues to grow
'This is harming single moms and others across the nation and in pockets of New Jersey, it's going to be very bad,' U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman told NJ. com.
The Washington-based Food Research & Action Center has also alarms, composing: 'SNAP is not simply a safeguard for susceptible residents - it's an important economic driver and stabilizing force for whole communities'.
Grassroots groups are filling the gaps. Alicia 'Lisa' Newcomb, head of the nonprofit C.R.O.P.S., has actually dealt with farmers and corner shops to stock healthier options, even protecting new refrigerators for small grocers.
'Grocery shopping looks different in various areas,' she informed WHYY.org. 'We worked with one corner store to get several new refrigerators which owner stated he desired to be the place where his clients can get excellent food.'
State authorities are also exploring with innovative fixes. Tara Colton, chief economic security officer at the NJEDA, points to refrigerated grocery lockers, akin to Amazon pick-up boxes, as a possible model.
'Much like there's nobody cause to food insecurity ... there's also not just one service,' Colton told NJ.com.
Meanwhile, the operator of Atlantic City's Save A Lot, Shawn Rinnier, intends to expand by 7,000 square feet. 'If we're able to pull it off, it 'd be an actually good shop with a lot more variety,' he told NJ.com. 'And I think people here would be truly pleased with it.'
At Sister Jean's Kitchen, the reality is plain. Dozens line up daily for meals. Reverend John Scotland, the executive director of the nonprofit. who runs the community cooking area, said need never ever disappears.
All the enjoyable of Atlantic City's boardwalk and piers is seen above
Restaurants on Atlantic City's boardwalk are seen above
'Today, we are open 3 days a week for 3 hours a day and we're hectic the entire time,' he informed WHYY.org.
'We will feed individuals because they are starving. We make no judgment of whether they are worthwhile or not. That is what we will continue to do.'
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