A disproportionate percentage of food deserts are majority Black and brown neighborhoods. One of the things we have found is that, ironically, large, chain grocery stores with their expansive parking lots do more to perpetuate food deserts than to solve them. So what do we do? How can we create right-size grocery stores in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty where they are most needed?
We are excited to share with you a conversation with one of the key partners that has made Carver Market possible, Jimmy Wright. Jimmy runs a local grocery store in Opelika, AL called Wrights Market that is doing the same kind of innovative and restorative work in his neighborhood.
Shawn Duncan, Director of The Lupton Center
Dr. Shawn Duncan is the Director of FCS’s Training and Consulting Division, The Lupton Center. Shawn comes to FCS from the nonprofit leadership sector with research and writing focused on pedagogies for social impact. In his previous careers he has focused on multi-sector coalition building for community impact, content and curriculum design, group facilitation, leadership development, and immigration reform advocacy. As the leader of The Lupton Center team, Shawn brings a visionary voice for innovation, a strategic mind for resource development, and the leadership acumen to support and equip the team for success. He loves being a part of a mission-driven team that finds joy in one another while doing such important work.
Jeff Delp, Director of Economic Development at FCS – has been operating small businesses in Historic South Atlanta for more than a decade. He has been a resident of the neighborhood since 2001, and has been with FCS since 2009. Prior to his time with FCS, he started and operated two other local non-profit organizations in Atlanta. He is a graduate of Messiah College with Bachelor degrees in History and Political Science.
Jimmy Wright – A lifelong independent grocer who began his grocery career in 1973 at age 12 as a bagger at the Opelika store his father managed. In 1997, Wright bought the store from William Ennis and rebranded it as Wright’s Market in 2003. His 22,000-square-foot independent grocery, known for its fresh meat and produce, employs 32. Wright’s Market also offers an e-commerce fresh food delivery service and was selected for the initial SNAP Online Pilot.
Special thanks to our podcast editor, Tim Rhodes, for making this episode possible. If you are interested in working with Tim, you can contact him via email at tim@whistlingblue.com, or through his website, whistlingblue.com. If you have questions, feedback, or wish to contact us, please email Rose Silva at rose@fcsministries.org
