ORLANDO, Fla. — A local nonprofit is working to open a grocery store in Orlando’s Parramore community as part of ongoing efforts to increase access to healthier food options. It’s an area where officials say access and affordability are barriers, classifying Parramore as a food desert.
The Desire Foundation, founded by Jennifer Hilaire, began five years ago by serving hot meals to about 50 people in the community.
Hilaire said she began to realize there was a bigger need than just a hot meal and that the lack of healthier food options directly impacted the health of the community.
The nonprofit now serves more than 400 people every Friday, with the food distributions providing about 30,000 pounds of food each week.
“Some people don’t have groceries; some people aren’t able to eat healthy every day, which then affects their health,” Hilaire said. “So, that’s when we started doing more food drives.”
According to Hilaire, the closest grocery store to the Parramore community is the Publix in the Packing District, about three miles away.
But with so many people reliant on public transportation, she said quick and close tends to be more favorable than traveling for fresh produce.
“A lot of the people around here rely so much on the corner stores and any gas stations,” Hilaire said. “But you’re not going to find apples and oranges and healthy food options at a corner store.”
Hilaire is now working to open the Parramore Market, which would be stocked with locally sourced produce, meats, eggs and other items.
She said right now, the store would hold pretty much everything but fish; something she’s hoping to figure out.
Parramore residents would be able to register for a shopping card at The Desire Foundation’s office, which is specific to the Parramore Market.
The card would grant them access to certain food items at no cost, while there are also items for purchase.
According to Hilaire, the market would also be open to the public, but they’d only be able to access the items for purchase.
To better support her efforts, Hilaire sought $170,000 for the project through the state budget.
It was supported by the House and the Senate, but ultimately vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
District 45 State Rep. Leonard Spencer, who represents parts of Orange and Osceola counties, sponsored the appropriations request.
In a statement to Spectrum News 13, he said in part:
“The Parramore community is one of many food deserts in Central Florida, where families often have to travel outside their neighborhood to access affordable, fresh, and nutritious food. I sponsored this request because I heard directly from constituents about the challenges they face in finding healthy food options close to home,” Spencer stated. “I was encouraged to see this project included in both the House and Senate budgets, because it demonstrated bipartisan recognition of investing in healthier food access. While I was disappointed, the funding was ultimately vetoed, my office will continue to support these efforts.”
Orlando City Commissioner Shan Rose, who covers District 5, said she supports community partners working to expand access to healthier food options in Parramore, with several programs already in effect.
“We have a partnership with 26 Health and Neighborhood Fridge where we have plots for them to grow fresh produce,” Rose said. “We take that fresh produce and there’s a free fridge that’s in the neighborhood to just go drop the produce off, and people can go pick it up no questions asked.”
Hilaire said the veto has not stopped her efforts to move the Parramore Market forward.
A soft opening is scheduled for August, though an exact date has not been released yet.
Hilaire said upon opening the market will only provide services Wednesday to Saturday, before expanding days of operation.
Additionally, she shared that the goal would be to have seven markets following this same model across Orange County.
“I think the need is there,” Hilaire said. “It’s just a matter of people saying yes to the neighborhood and saying yes to staying.”
The funding request from the state would have gone towards purchasing food for the market, which Hilaire says currently costs the foundation about $250,000.
Some of the funds were also supposed to go towards purchasing a truck for food pickups.
Right now the foundation rents a truck for weekly distributions, sometimes multiple times a week, and Hilaire shared that a truck of their own would help cut down on the extra cost.
According to State Rep. Spencer, while state funds this year are no longer an option, there are still local grants, private donations and other community partners that he believes the Desire Foundation can capitalize on to help with the market.
