Black Grocery StoreTo Enter Detroit, Help Insecure Food

One Black-led grocery store is hitting the Motor City to assist in solving food insecurity.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op will be open to the public in March of 2024. In the grand scheme of things, the store is a part of the Detroit Food Commons (DFC) Project, which is a 31,000-square-foot two-story building that will provide an entire community space and local kitchen to support food entrepreneurs.

The second floor will have a whopping four commercial kitchens as well as a venue for performances and movie screenings, and other activities, including a café with healthy foods. This is what a  $21.3 million property can do.

“The Detroit People’s Food Co-op is going to be huge for the North End, and especially for our urban agriculture ecosystem and economy,” Tepfirah Rushdan, Detroit’s director of urban agriculture, told Outlier Media. “Not only is it going to provide a convenient source of locally grown organic produce for residents, it’s also going to be a valuable retail outlet for our urban farmers. In addition to all of this, Detroiters are able to own shares in the co-op, giving them a voice in its operation.”

Additionally, two nonprofits, Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN) as well as the Develop Detroit, joined forces on the Detroit Food Commons project, according to the outlet.

“DPFC will be the only Black-led, community-owned grocery store in the Midwest, confronting extractive practices of the industry while connecting economic opportunities to local growers and farmers in the supply chain,” Malik Yakini, DBCFSN co-founder and executive director, said.

This Detroit grocery store is like Black Superman coming to save the day. According to the Detroit Food Policy Council’s 2021 Food Metrics Report, 69% of Detroit households are food insecure. Still, the leaders of the DFC have a belief their project will be the right way towards improving food insecurity and health conditions.

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“DFC will bring much-needed access to fresh and nutrient-rich foods to help counter the negative effects of food insecurity, including obesity, high blood pressure, and a host of other health challenges that are negatively impacting Detroiters,” Yakini said, according to Outlier Media.

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