Officials in Prince George’s County have welcomed Good Food Markets, a new grocery store aimed at improving food access and community health by providing fresh healthy food in underserved communities, hosting fun educational events and collaborating with neighborhood groups.
The grocery chain, which currently has a location in D.C.’s Ward 5 and another slated to open soon in Ward 8, has now set up shop at Addison Plaza in Seat Pleasant, Md., where it offers a full-service café with a made-to-order menu and communal seating.
Though the store had a soft opening earlier this month, a grand-opening ceremony will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 2, with Seat Pleasant Mayor Eugene Grant, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and other community leaders scheduled to speak at the ribbon-cutting.
The building had been home to a Safeway grocery store until its closing in 2016.
“For over 1,902 days since the closing of a major grocery store in Seat Pleasant, my residents have suffered the effects of a food desert,” Grant said. “Good Food Markets will have a tremendous positive effect granting many of our senior citizens, families and neighbors’ access to fresh, wholesome and nutritious and healthy food options that they had been denied of for a long time.”
The new store was funded through grants, a Healthy Food Financing Initiative loan from the Low-Income Investment Fund, and an Economic Development Incentive Fund loan from the PGC-Economic Development Corporation.
“We are more than just a grocery store,” said Krista Carter, Good Food Markets marketing manager. “We have hosted over 400 programs since opening our first location on Rhode Island Avenue and are excited to learn what our neighbors need in order to best serve as a comprehensive health and wellness resource.”