Healthy Food Financing

Across the Deep South, small towns and cities have gone without grocery stores for generations, and low-income neighborhoods in urban areas are losing grocery stores at an alarming rate. In recent years, floods and others disasters have exacerbated the issue of access to outlets that sell high quality healthy food options including fresh fruits and vegetables.

In the midst of the decline in healthy food retail options for residents of these communities, HOPE has financed 12 healthy food projects throughout the Deep South and directly invested $16.8 million and leveraged $44 million. The HOPE-financed projects have developed more than 209,750 square feet of additional grocery store space, significantly expanding access to healthy food for residents of low-income and underserved communities.

HOPE partners with local, state, and national partners to administer several Healthy Food Programs. These efforts are intended to increase access to affordable healthy foods and to expand economic opportunity in low-income communities.

Learn more about these programs:

• Deep South Healthy Food Initiative
• Louisiana’s Healthy Food Retail Program
• New Orleans Fresh Food Retailer Initiative