By: Jordyn Walden

The Eastside of Jacksonville and surrounding Downtown areas are filled with culture and history, but there are not many grocery stores. Due to supermarket redlining, the Eastside is what social scientists call a food desert. A food desert is a community where residents lack accessible and affordable healthy food. In exchange, these areas are filled with fast food and convenience stores.  

The Corner at Debs Store, a newly renovated store, partnered with Goodwill to bring accessible, affordable, healthy food to the community. The family-owned grocery store on the historic Eastside served the community for 90 years before it was forced to close its doors due to its circumstances. This created a food desert, making it difficult for residents to access healthy and affordable food.  

LIFT JAX, Goodwill, and several other local partners recognized the need to address this gap. With a commitment to serve the same community that had relied on it for nearly a century, they renovated and expanded the original store, reopening it in its original location. After restoring the store, it reopened in September 2024.  

This offers a lifeline to the community. The Goodwill team was able to use its skills to help the residents of the Eastside neighborhood. Collaborating with local farmers, small businesses, and food vendors, the team has been able to keep prices low, making healthy food accessible to those who need it most.