Earlier this month, the New Hanover Community Endowment announced a $1,244,215 grant to “fund a two-year grocery delivery program serving all 8 food deserts in New Hanover County.”
The grant was briefly mentioned by The Endowment’s CEO Sophie Dagenais during a presentation to county commissioners on May 4, who noted, “We look forward to sharing those details publicly soon.”
According to the county, the GAP pilot is expected to leverage technology to quickly expand equitable food access.
“The county is in the final stages of operational planning with its potential partner and will share more details as soon as that is complete,” a county spokesperson wrote in an email last week.
According to Linda Thompson, the county’s chief civic engagement officer, the GAP pilot is “aimed at addressing food insecurity and diet-related health disparities in communities identified as food deserts. This effort builds on more than two years of research into local food access challenges.” In a statement, Thompson noted this also included the development of a Food Access Mapping Tool.
“The program will support eligible low-income residents by providing annual membership access to a leading grocery delivery platform, along with monthly stipends to help purchase fresh, healthy foods. Participants will be able to order groceries, and pharmacy items for direct home delivery, improving convenience and access,” Thompson wrote.
The county’s program, and the Endowment grant, represent a pivot away from direct support for the Northside Co-op and its non-profit partner, Growing Resilience, which together sought to build a grocery store in the area’s food desert. In late 2024, the city of Wilmington went under contract to sell a property at 3rd and Chestnut to a developer that promised a grocery store. In reaction, The Endowment, and then the county, pulled previously-approved funding for the co-op. However, when the Publix project fell through late last year, the co-op remained unfunded.
In her statement, Thompson wrote, “The Northside Food Co-op continues to play a crucial role in tackling food accessibility issues throughout New Hanover County. Recognizing its significance in the community, New Hanover County remains committed to supporting the co-op and advancing its efforts to improve access to nutritious foods for residents in need.”
Asked for details about how the county was supporting the co-op, Thompson responded, “Civic Engagement and DSS staff have continued to meet with the Northside Food Co-op and Growing Resilience at their request, including a meeting this month. Those conversations have focused on the County's Grocery Access Program and making sure they have a clear understanding of what the program is intended to do.”
Thompson noted that “GAP is a separate effort from the co-op's grocery store project. The program is intended to serve all eight of the county's food deserts, with a delivery model that covers groceries and prescriptions. The food desert research behind the County's work has been underway for several years and was not developed to compete with the co-op's mission.”
She added that as the county continues planning for the launch of the GAP pilot, staff are “continuing conversations with Growing Resilience about how their existing food access work could connect with families served through the program.”
