The Salvation Army Tackles Food Deserts

The Salvation Army has opened DMG Foods—which stands for the nonprofit’s credo, Doing the Most Good—in Baltimore. 

It is the first-ever national nonprofit grocery chain. The goal is to bring good food to low-income residents in the country’s food deserts, which are nutrition-poor areas where people have no or extremely limited access to low-cost, healthy food, according to Grub Street.

Their goal is a sustainable store rooted in the community that helps locals eat “healthier, smarter, cheaper and all of that,” Salvation Army spokesperson Gene Hogg said in a release. People who can’t easily purchase nutritious foods tend to not eat them, and the U.S. is actually plagued by this terrible phenomenon, which often occurs in neighborhoods that are loaded with fast-food chains.

As part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign years ago, which I was privileged to work with, the USDA built a Food Desert Locator that mapped America’s “low-access communities.” 

DMG foods is 7,000 square feet, and aims to double the amount of food people on SNAP can purchase. Ordinarily, they get the equivalent of about $4 per person per day. But the nonprofit clearly did its grocery industry research beforehand, Grub Street said: Baltimore’s DMG features an on-site butcher, and premade meals and salads via a partnership with the Maryland Food Bank. It’s even got a house brand called Best Yet, alongside other national brands. Cooking demos are available, as well as a loyalty program called the Red Shield Club that extends discounts to members. 

Related:Food Deserts Aren’t the Main Driver of Bad Diets: Study

Looks like once again, the Salvation Army comes to the rescue.