Costs to force SE Ohio ‘free’ grocery store to close
By David Beasley
The Center Square
A southeast Ohio “free” grocery store that received about $20,000 in taxpayer-funded grants over the last year may close its non-profit operation.
With God’s Grace, funded by private donations and taxpayer grants since 2014, began as a food pantry but expanded to a grocery store.
Founder and Executive Director Nicole Adkins told The Center Square rising costs may force her to close the doors.
Adkins blamed inflation for higher operational and food costs and fewer donor dollars.
“Right now, we are able to keep it open until January,” she said. “We want to keep the store open. But with the rising cost of insurance, utilities, food and gas, everybody has a higher cost of living. That is trickling down to our donations. We’ve always been donations based. We get small government grants but it’s nothing like big government grants that other organizations get.”
The organization buys food from grocery stores or wholesalers at a discounted rate, Adkins said.
The store stocks a variety of fruits and vegetables, non-perishable food and even household goods. Many of the patrons are elderly.
It also has mobile locations for distributing food but may have to sell the grocery store building just to keep the mobile food operation afloat.
About 73,000 families were helped by the organization last year.
“We don’t want to close the grocery store,” Adkins said. “There are so many families that depend on it.”
The organization limits the amount of food each customer can receive, and they can shop only once each week. The store has a database showing the family size of the patrons, who must also present identification.
The store accepts donations of money and food. Donations are tax deductible since the organization is a non-profit, Atkins said.
“Every good item, every dollar helps us to stay open longer,” she said.
Free or reduced costs grocery stores attracted national attention earlier this year during the mayoral election in New York City, when they were advocated by then candidate, now mayor, Zohran Kwame Mamdani. The city opened five municipal grocery stores with prices 30% lower than commercial stores, although not free.
Some supporters point to inflation and tighter scrutiny of the federal food stamp program as reasons for the increased popularity.