Farm Stand and Small Batch Grower 

Colorado

Our impact has been farm fresh fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, eggs and herbs directly provided by Colorado farmers and orchards. The good quality, fresh food, has a better preservation duration, taste and appearance. It improves the health of all in the community members we serve, young and old. Healthy foods keep its populations healthy and encourages better eating habits, which has a very positive outcome for life longevity. We have affordable prices, even for the organic produce we bring in. We encourage bartering systems on an equal trade value and encourage everyone to try their hands in growing thing's they are comfortable in trying. We answer questions, assist as needed and offer guidance in holistic practices because we care about everyone's health. A person's health begins with what you eat, how its treated and where it came from. Soil health is vitally important to growing and how it can affect your body. As a community, we encourage teaching and learning from each other. And remember what it takes to makes us all good neighbors to each other and spread the kindness as much as possible. 

Nonprofit 

Virginia

New Roots Community Farm operates a year-round farm market in Southern West Virginia’s New River Gorge region, connecting community members with fresh, locally grown food while creating stable market access for regional farmers and food producers. Through SNAP, WIC, Senior Voucher acceptance, and our Market Match program, shoppers can receive 50–75% off fresh produce, significantly increasing food affordability for low-income families and seniors. We also supply produce to Farm to School initiatives and the regional FARMacy WV food prescription program in partnership with New River Health. By combining food access programming with producer support, we strengthen both community health and the local food economy. 

https://www.newrootscommunityfarm.com/

501(c)3 charitable organization 

North Dakota

The NDREC Foundation, staffed through the N.D. Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC), strengthens essential services in rural North Dakota, including access to healthy, affordable food. NDAREC obtained grants through the Foundation to help establish the Rural Access Distribution (RAD) Co-op, providing shared services to grocery stores in Park River, Hoople and Edinburg. Joint purchasing increased stores’ buying power and lowered wholesale costs, and an NDSU Center for Social Research study found all participating stores increased sales and profitability from improved pricing and product variety. Communities gained better access to fresh produce and specialty items while strengthening affordability and long-term local food system resilience. 

https://www.ndarec.com/foundation

Grocery 

Massachusetts

Nubian Markets is a vibrant, thoughtfully curated market, cafe, butchery and gathering place celebrating the African Diaspora. Located in a low income area of Boston, we nourish our community through food. Nourished communities not only have access to healthy foods, but also a voice in what types of food they eat, dignified shopping experiences, access to delicious food, and space to gather. Our supply chain reflects our local community with a focus on carrying local and black-owned products. In our gathering space, we host over 125 community events per year, bringing people together around healthy, culturally relevant foods. 

https://www.nubianmarkets.com/

Zero Waste Grocery Store 

Colorado

At Nude Foods Market, we make healthy, low-waste grocery shopping accessible through a reusable jar system that eliminates single-use packaging while supporting local and regenerative food producers. We accept SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks, partner with local farms and food hubs to reduce costs and food waste, and collaborate with compost and food recovery organizations to build a circular local food economy. We also provide affordable prepared meals, home delivery across the Boulder and Denver metro areas, and educational outreach around zero-waste living, food systems, and reducing exposure to microplastics and harmful chemicals. 

Our model has grown from a pandemic delivery startup into a two-location grocery business serving thousands of Colorado households. Customers regularly tell us that Nude Foods helps them shop by their values and makes sustainable living feel accessible and convenient. Our partnerships with local farms, and regional food distributors have strengthened local supply chains, reduced packaging waste, and expanded access to healthy food in our community. 

https://nudefoodsmarket.com

Grocery Store

Oklahoma

Through our nonprofit arm, The Oasis Projects, Oasis Fresh Market has transformed the role of a grocery store into a community impact hub for historically underserved neighborhoods. Beyond food access, we provide emergency food assistance, health screenings, rental support, financial literacy education, workforce development, youth engagement programs, and navigation support for SNAP and WIC benefits.

In 2025 alone, Oasis delivered over 93,167 community engagements across Tulsa, including 53,000 SNAP interactions, 19,000 eWIC engagements, 11,000+ health program touchpoints, and 2,700 summer feeding interactions. Our model proves grocery retail can drive measurable economic, health, and community outcomes at scale.

https://www.oasisfreshmarkets.net

Non profit co op

Florida

One Community Grocery Co-op (OCGC) is a grassroots, community-owned grocery initiative advancing food access, local economic participation, and neighborhood resilience in South St. Petersburg. Since launching in 2017, OCGC has grown to approximately 190 member-owners while building support for a full-service cooperative grocery store in a historically underserved community. OCGC currently operates monthly pop-up markets, nutrition engagement activities, community events, and the Subscription Box Program featuring locally sourced produce from regional growers. Through partnerships with the Florida Food Policy Council, CRIS at the University of South Florida, and community organizations, OCGC supports long-term food security and resilience planning. One Community Grocery Co-op (OCGC) is piloting a replicable community-owned grocery resilience model integrating localized food distribution, cooperative governance, local agriculture, and resilience-centered infrastructure in historically underserved neighborhoods. Through subscription food distribution, pop-up markets, local grower partnerships, and community-centered engagement, OCGC is advancing a sustainable approach to grocery retail that strengthens food access, local economic participation, and neighborhood stability. Grounded in cooperative ownership and supported through partnerships with the Florida Food Policy Council and CRIS at the University of South Florida, the initiative demonstrates how grocery infrastructure can function as essential community resilience infrastructure during economic disruptions, transportation instability, and climate-related challenges.

https://ocgc.coop/

LLC (B-Corp)

Georgia

Retaaza is building a next-generation community grocery model that operates less like a traditional grocery store and more like a neighborhood food infrastructure platform. Our innovation addresses one of the biggest challenges in grocery retail: the difficulty of sustaining full-service grocery operations in under served communities while maintaining affordability and quality access to healthy food.

Unlike traditional grocers that rely almost entirely on in-store sales and fragmented supply chains, Retaaza integrates grocery retail with regional food hub distribution, direct farmer sourcing, mobile markets, produce prescription programs, community food access initiatives, and surplus food utilization. This diversified ecosystem creates operational flexibility and multiple revenue streams that strengthen long-term financial sustainability.

Retaaza already sources directly from Georgia farmers, allowing us to shorten supply chains, improve freshness, increase procurement flexibility, and create affordable pricing opportunities through the use of surplus and cosmetically imperfect produce. We also utilize prepared foods and value-added products to reduce food waste and improve inventory efficiency.

Our model advances industry standards by combining local procurement, food recovery, public health, and economic development into one integrated operating system. Through our “Community Advised Grocery” approach, residents are compensated for providing ongoing feedback about store operations, product assortment, pricing, and accessibility, ensuring the store remains responsive to community needs.

By building infrastructure that supports both local farmers and neighborhood food access, Retaaza is creating a scalable, community-centered grocery model designed to strengthen local economies, improve health outcomes, and create more resilient regional food supply chains.

Non-profit 

Virginia

The River District Association, through the North Main Visionaries Collaborative Group, is advancing community-led food access by activating pop-up grocery and makers markets while developing a permanent farmers/makers hub through the Unlocking Capital initiative. These pop-ups bring fresh food, local products, and economic opportunities directly into a historically underserved area. Early activations have increased community engagement, supported local vendors, and created consistent access points for fresh food. Vendors have reported increased visibility and sales, while residents have expressed appreciation for accessible, community-centered food options that reflect their needs and culture.

https://www.riverdistrictassociation.com/

Nonprofit

California

Saba Grocers Initiative strengthens neighborhood corner stores in underserved communities by providing fresh food distribution, technical assistance, and community-driven merchandising strategies. We aggregate demand across stores to lower costs and ensure consistent access to high-quality produce, while supporting storeowners with refrigeration, marketing, and sales optimization. To date, Saba has distributed over $800,000 in fresh produce across its network, increasing availability of healthy food while improving store profitability. Participating storeowners report increased foot traffic and produce sales, alongside stronger relationships with residents who value reliable access to affordable, nutritious options.

https://www.sabagrocers.org

Grocery store

Wisconsin

Sherman Park Grocery has developed a community-centered grocery retail model that integrates food access, healthcare, education, and economic support into a single neighborhood-based operation. Our innovation goes beyond traditional grocery retail by creating a brick-and-mortar community wellness hub within a federally recognized food desert.

Key innovations include our healthy prepared meals initiative, elderly grocery delivery service, and Double Cashback healthy food incentive program, which increases purchasing power for fresh fruits and vegetables. We partner with MATC dietitian and nutrition students to host cooking classes, nutrition workshops, healthy meal preparation demonstrations, and label-reading education directly inside the store. Alverno nursing students and healthcare partners provide blood pressure screenings and wellness education to customers during regular business operations.

Additionally, Sherman Park Grocery collaborates with the MATC Fast Fund program to provide grocery gift cards and emergency food assistance to currently enrolled students experiencing food insecurity. These integrated services address transportation barriers, chronic health conditions, nutrition education gaps, and affordability challenges simultaneously.

This hybrid grocery and wellness model creates operational sustainability through prepared foods, community partnerships, educational programming, and targeted food access initiatives. The model is scalable for underserved urban communities nationwide and demonstrates how independent grocers can improve public health outcomes while strengthening local economic development and food accessibility.

https://shermanparkgrocery.com/

Grocery Store 

Colorado

Simple Foods is a locally owned grocer in Rio Grande County, Colorado. We carry locally sourced produce, meats, dairy, grains, and diverse nutritional products. We are one of two grocery stores carrying healthy and locally sourced foods regionally.

https://www.simplefoodsmarket.com/

Food Coop Project / Non-profit 

Puerto Rico

Comedores Sociales de Puerto Rico is a nonprofit organization ensuring access to healthy, sustainable food in underserved communities. It created Puerto Rico’s first Mutual Support Center, providing hot meals and emotional care after disasters, and the Solidarity Groceries Nutritional Support Program for families in Caguas. Through Súper Solidario, a community supermarket rooted in food sovereignty and environmental justice, we connect local farmers, ecological producers, and low-income communities with affordable local food. Born from the crises intensified by hurricanes and COVID-19, this collective effort strengthens local economies, reduces dependence on imports, and builds resilient food systems in Puerto Rico. 

https://www.comedoressocialespr.org/

Independent 501(c)3 grocery retailer 

Pennsylvania

Born from grassroots efforts with our neighbors, The Community Grocer (TCG) provides persistent, community-driven, high-quality nutrition to a neighborhood impacted by decades of disinvestment. TCG currently serves approximately 150 neighbors weekly with nutritious groceries and chef-designed, locally-sourced “menu samples” that will soon be available for purchase with SNAP and other forms of nutrition assistance at our inaugural brick-and-mortar location. TCG’s groundbreaking model will support economic development and nutrition access by enabling residents to use SNAP for ready-to-eat meals, meal kits and wholesale ingredients. Our ultimate goal is for our community to define their own food and health systems, prioritizing local production and processes to support well-being. 

https://www.thecommunitygrocer.org/

Mobile Market and more 

Pennsylvania

The Best Route’s "My Mobile Market" bridges the "last mile" for underserved communities in southeastern PA by bringing fresh, high-quality, locally-grown food directly to those with limited physical or economic access. Unlike traditional charitable food programs, we offer a dignified, retail-based model that empowers shoppers. We provide a welcoming environment that accepts all forms of payment, including SNAP/EBT and FMNP checks. By integrating local farm sourcing, healthy recipe bundles, and community-partnered locations, we build local food economies that are both sustainable and supportive of public health. **10,134 individuals now within walking access (.25 miles) to local food retail, 32% of borough population 

https://www.thebestroute.org/about

Nonprofit food equity program including farm to table meals available on the gift model and locally sourced produce and agricultural products 

Colorado

Nourish Our Farmers is a new project of the TLC Kitchen offering free meals to farm workers, we also offer locally sourced meals to our community on the Gift Model allowing people to pay as you can, cover the cost or pay it forward. We offer house made locally sourced ferments, canned goods and products on the gift model. We sell locally produced produce at the cost consistent to the farmers prices in order to avoid undercutting our local farmers. We also offer cooking classes and wellness classes as well as 25 agricultural classes per year taught by local farmers. Supporting local farms and farmers is the goal of the TLC Kitchen and Market. 

https://thelearningcouncil.org/

Grocery Store

Kansas

The Mildred Store is the only full-service grocery within 30 miles of Mildred, Kansas, serving a rural, aging, and low-income community with a 15% food insecurity rate and child food insecurity at 22.4%. Beyond groceries, we host monthly country music nights, festivals, car shows, and civic conversations, making us a truly unique community hub. We source directly from local FFA students, farmers, and ranchers, supporting regional food systems year-round. Our freeze-drying initiative will preserve six existing part-time jobs, create at least one new position, and is projected to increase annual revenue by 15% by 2029. 

https://www.themildredstore.com/

Grocery Store 

North Carolina

When Hurricane Helene hit and our only grocery store closed, I couldn't stand by and watch Swannanoa become a food desert. I knew somebody had to do something, so I opened The Rite Buy Grocery in Beacon Village. My mission was simple: bring fresh, affordable food back to the heart of our community. We stock locally sourced produce, meat, dairy, and pantry staples from neighbors like Hickory Nut Gap and local creameries. I wanted more than a store. I wanted to keep local dollars local, create jobs, and serve residents who can't drive to Black Mountain or Asheville. That's why we're here. 

https://www.facebook.com/ritebuygrocery/

Grocery retailer

Illinois

Uncle May's is the first scalable grocery chain designed for Black American consumers, sourced directly from Black farms and Black-owned brands. Year-1 commitments at our Hyde Park flagship: direct-sourcing relationships with 12–20 Black-owned farms, 40–60 Black-owned CPG brands on shelf, 25–35 neighborhood hires, and 3,000+ South Side households served. Pre-launch validation: 97% of 100+ Black consumers surveyed said they would shop with us; 89.6% would refer family and friends. Recognized by TechRise / World Business Chicago ($25K innovation grant) and incubated through the University of Chicago's Polsky and Rustandy Centers. 

https://www.unclemays.com/

Cooperative Grocery Store 

Michigan

The Go Green Fresh Market is a neighborhood grocery store and pillar of IMANs food ecosystem work. Launched in 2022 in response to food apartheid conditions in the Englewood neighborhood, the market is the driving force behind innovative solutions for food justice by seeking to expand access to nutritious foods and nutrition initiatives in the community. Since opening, the Fresh Market has seen consistent revenue growth and has amassed over 8,000 loyalty members as we have become a central hub for community food access and economic development at the corner of 63rd and Racine. 

https://uprootbc.com/

Healthy Food & Beverage Manufacturer

New Jersey

Urban Health is in the process of transforming healthy food access in Camden, NJ long identified as one of New Jersey’s most severe food deserts. Through partnerships with The Food Trust, Camden Corner Store Association, PBCIP, and Pinelands Preservation Alliance, we are bringing fresh, locally prepared cold-pressed juices and soon vegetable kits and salads directly into neighborhood corner stores. Our Camden based production hub prepares these items daily, creating local jobs while improving access to nutritious foods. Early pilot stores are already seeing increased demand, and Nutrition Incentive vouchers are helping families choose healthier options demonstrating that when healthy food is accessible, communities embrace it.

Grocery Cooperative 

Pennsylvania

Weavers Way Co-op runs a low-income discount program, “Food For All,” that provides a shopping discount for co-op members experiencing economic hardship. During the 2025 government shutdown, the Co-op raised nearly $190k from 2,352 people to support 450 FFA households through the “Co-op Food Fund.” The Fund, distributed as weekly payments discreetly accessed by the shutdown-impacted member at checkout, was a “lifesaver,” and “put healthy food on our table.” The Fund will continue providing support for healthy food access at Co-op stores and at a new mobile market that will serve underserved communities and help establish future community food stores. 

https://weaversway.coop/

Farm Stop 

Michigan

Micah 6 Community tends 1.25 acres of neighborhood gardens with a greenhouse and two hoop houses, providing free or low‑cost fresh produce to Pontiac residents. In 2017, we opened the Sprout Fresh Food Store because residents needed affordable produce close to home. Together, our gardens and Sprout now provide thousands of pounds of fresh food each year. In 2025, we grew over 3,000 pounds of produce for the community. Neighbors often say the gardens feel like a place where the whole community comes together and where access to fresh, healthy food is something everyone can count on. 

The Webster Community Market is the next evolution of Micah 6 Community’s food access work, expanding the impact of our 1.25 acres of community gardens and the Sprout Fresh Food Store.

https://www.micah6community.com/

501(c)3 Nonprofit 

California

With Love Community Programs and our grocery retail partner, With Love Market & Cafe, are a South Los Angeles initiative dedicated to increasing access to healthy food, social resources, and safe community spaces in our low-income, low-food access neighborhood. With Love aims to build equitable food systems with 30+ community partners, urban farms, 150 schools, senior care centers, neighborhood markets, and other food equity organizations. With Love procures produce from hyperlocal farms, distributing over 100,000 pounds of affordable fresh produce, thousands of nutritious meals, care boxes; SNAP/EBT programs; and nutrition education classes, serving over 100,000 community members and customers annually.

https://withlovela.com/about-us/

Independent Grocery Store 

Alabama

Wright’s Market has redefined independent grocery retail by integrating high-tech solutions with deeply personal, community-centered service. Under Jimmy Wright’s leadership, the store was an early adopter of SNAP online purchasing, as well as GusNIP-funded SNAP incentives and the Add Milk program, expanding access to fresh produce and nutritious dairy for low-income households ahead of broader national adoption. 

https://www.wrightsmarkets.com/