By AFRO Staff
Leaders of the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) are working to eliminate food insecurity via a free market located inside of the Fairmount Heights Branch Library, located at 5904 Kolb St., Fairmount Heights, MD 20743.
A May 28 ribbon cutting event hosted by Prince George’s County Council Member Shayla Adams-Stafford (District 5) officially opened the free market, which is a partnership between PGCMLS and Goodr, a Black owned, Atlanta-based company that has opened more than two dozen free food markets across the country.
The program is expected to feed 200 families a week in District 5 of Prince George’s County, where the Fairmount Heights Branch Library is located. A second free market, spearheaded by Prince George’s County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha, is slated to open in District 7 in the near future.
The Fairmount Five Market comes as families across Prince George’s County struggle to pay for fresh food.
According to information released by the Prince George’s County Council, “Prince George’s County Health Department data shows 12 percent of Prince Georgians are food insecure and nearly 20 percent of children in Prince George’s County live in food insecure households.”
Councilwoman Adams-Stafford says that fighting food insecurity has been at the top of her list of priorities.
“Now, more than ever, we need ways to connect our residents to free, healthy food sources in a convenient and respectful manner. I’m proud to partner with Goodr and Prince George’s County Memorial Library System to bring this initiative to life,” said Adams-Stafford, in a press release about the ribbon cutting.
Founder and CEO of Goodr, Jasmine Crowe-Houston, said that “every Goodr Grocery Store starts with the same belief: that access to fresh, healthy food is a matter of dignity, and that the communities closest to the problem are the ones best positioned to solve it.”
“What makes this location special is the partnership behind it. Libraries are places people already trust,” Crowe-Houston said in the press release. “Families come here to learn, to find resources, to connect. Putting a grocery store inside PGCMLS’ Fairmount Heights branch means residents can pick up fresh produce, dairy, and proteins in a space that already belongs to them.”
“Prince George’s County and the library system saw an opportunity to turn a room in a public building into food access infrastructure for their neighbors, and they made it happen,” Crowe-Houston continued. “That is exactly how this work is supposed to grow.”
To date, Goodr reports that it has served more than 30 million meals to people facing food insecurity.
Prior to the ribbon cutting, 200 families across District 5 were given the opportunity to sign up for resources from the Fairmount Five Market. Now that it has opened, the families will be able to shop for free groceries on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Additional families in need can sign up for a waitlist, which began taking names on June 1.
“The Prince George’s Memorial Library System is proud to host this vital community resource at our Fairmount Heights Branch Library,” said PGCMLS Chief Operating Officer Megan Sutherland, in the press release. “Our system’s 19 branches are not only trusted spaces for accessing information, but also for connecting with essential services. We are pleased that, through this partnership, PGCMLS is able to continue to be at the forefront of supporting innovation and collaboration that strengthens our community.”
