ALDERSON, W.Va. — Residents in a West Virginia town that sits in both Greenbrier County and Monroe County won’t have to go far to buy more fresh, locally grown products.
The Alderson Green Grocer officially reopened its doors Tuesday after being closed for a week of renovation work.
“When we closed and reopened, we decided to focus on the things that are not available anywhere else in our community,” explained Thomas Key, executive director of the Alderson Community Food Hub.
“That’s fresh meat, deli meats and cheeses and hot and cold food, a salad bar, local produce as well as other produce and then West Virginia products.”
The bulk food department has also been expanded.
In April 2015, after Alderson’s only remaining grocery store closed, a crowdfunding effort first helped turn what was a small food stand located at Patti Grafton’s Wolf Creek Gallery into the Green Grocer.
“I know that there’s a lot of communities across this state that have lost their community grocery store and we’re fortunate to have opened one here under the Alderson Community Food Hub,” Key said.
Lewisburg, which is a one-way trip of more than 15 miles from Alderson, offers the nearest full-service grocery locations to town residents.
“If the Green Grocer wasn’t here, it would be classified as a ‘rural food desert’ here where you have to drive those kinds of distances to reach affordable, fresh food,” Key told MetroNews.
“Our mission is to supply affordable, healthy, nutritious food here in our community, to raise awareness about sustainable food systems and support the local farmer.”
Joining volunteers in the Alderson Green Grocer renovation work, unveiled Tuesday, was a spring break crew from Hamilton College.