'America's Playground' Is Now The Epicenter Of A Food Desert

Behind the glimmering picture of a city developed on luxury and excess lies a community where finding something as standard as fresh fruit or a loaf of bread has actually become a day-to-day struggle.


The city, nicknamed America's Playground, is a seaside escape of glitzy gambling establishments, celebrity-chef dining establishments and limitless buffets that drew 24 million travelers in 2024, according to the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. In 2015 alone, gambling operators generated $5.8 billion.


But in the shadow of the boardwalk's neon lights, the city's 38,000 citizens face a grim truth: Atlantic City has not had a correct full-service grocery store 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 does not have a supermarket and that's inappropriate,' Mike Suleiman of South Jersey Forward, a regional think tank that studied food insecurity in the location, informed WHYY.org. 'It is essential for the city to designate somebody for food insecurity.'


For lots of locals, the easy act of grocery shopping develops into a difficult journey, from bus rides over bridges to pricey Ubers, or counting on the generosity of loved ones.


'Fresh fruits, fresh veggies, chicken, meats ... you can't really get that at the corner stores, at the little bodegas, but that's mostly all we have here,' Ori Reyes, a teenager who has actually invested her life making the 18-mile trek with her household to a Walmart in Egg Harbor Township, informed NJ.com.


'Usually, to discover healthy food that's economical, you don't have much of an option, you need to go to other towns.'


Only 13 percent of families in the Atlantic City-Hammonton location own a vehicle, 2021 U.S. Census data shows.


Food insecurity has actually left Atlantic City ranked among the worst food deserts in New Jersey


Atlantic City is understood as America's Playground with its beaches, fairground rides and casinos


Families already struggling to discover fresh food in Atlantic City say decreases to SNAP benefits could push numerous deeper into appetite


Despite billions flowing through Atlantic City's casinos and tourist dining establishments each year, citizens say they can't even purchase fresh groceries in their own city


For residents like Rosetta Butler, a 58-year-old who lives in the Atlantic Marina housing complex, redemption is available in the form of a 40-foot modified bus.


Operated by Virtua Health, the 'Eat Well' mobile supermarket pulls into her block on Fridays.


'This right here, it's a godsend,' she informed NJ.com, displaying a bag filled with bread, peanut butter, and vegetables.


'It's a truly huge blessing for individuals like me, who can't make it to the market quickly ... you understand, for people who can't drive, are older, or have health problems.'


In 2021, authorities gathered for a victorious groundbreaking of an $18.7 million ShopRite grocery store at Baltic and Indiana Avenues. Governor Phil Murphy hailed it as a turning point.


But within a year, the offer collapsed. The operator, Village Super Market, took out after the Casino Redevelopment Investment Authority (CRDA) declined its demand for subsidies. Residents were left blindsided.


'Not having a supermarket after telling residents there would be one is ravaging,' Mayor Marty Small Sr. told NJ.com. 'But our supermarket dreams are simply postponed, not dead. We continue to aim to discover a long-term option.'


Advocates warn that looming cuts to federal food help (SNAP) could deepen the crisis.


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Community groups and mobile markets are actioning in to offer fruit, vegetables, and dairy to struggling families (Pictured: 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 demand for help continues to grow


'This is hurting single moms and others throughout the nation and in pockets of New Jersey, it's going to be really bad,' U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman informed NJ. com.


The Washington-based Food Research & Action Center has likewise sounded alarms, writing: 'SNAP is not simply a safeguard for susceptible citizens - it's an important financial chauffeur and stabilizing force for entire neighborhoods'.


Grassroots groups are filling the spaces. Alicia 'Lisa' Newcomb, head of the not-for-profit C.R.O.P.S., has actually dealt with farmers and corner stores to equip healthier options, even protecting brand-new refrigerators for small grocers.


'Grocery shopping looks various in various neighborhoods,' she told WHYY.org. 'We dealt with one corner store to get numerous new fridges which owner said he wished to be the place where his customers can get great food.'


State officials are also experimenting with innovative fixes. Tara Colton, chief financial security officer at the NJEDA, points to cooled grocery lockers, akin to Amazon pick-up boxes, as a possible model.


'Much like there's no one cause to food insecurity ... there's also not just one solution,' Colton told NJ.com.


Meanwhile, the operator of Atlantic City's Save A Lot, Shawn Rinnier, hopes to expand by 7,000 square feet. 'If we have the ability to pull it off, it 'd be a really good shop with a lot more range,' he informed NJ.com. 'And I believe individuals here would be truly delighted with it.'


At Sister Jean's Kitchen, the reality appears. Dozens line up daily for meals. Reverend John Scotland, the executive director of the not-for-profit. who runs the neighborhood cooking area, said demand never goes away.


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 busy the whole time,' he told WHYY.org.


'We will feed individuals due to the fact that they are hungry. We make no judgment of whether they are deserving or not. That is what we will continue to do.'


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