Anthony Marino, owner of Marino’s Market in Five Points West, has had many reasons to expand his stores, but one always seemed paramount. “We’ve built onto our stores . . . so we could put in healthier fruits, vegetables, and different types of foods,” he said. “We closed the gap for the underserved … by expanding and remodeling our store and adding healthier, more nutritious foods at both of our locations.”

Sixty-nine percent of Birmingham’s population lives in a food desert and each City Council district has at least one U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-designated food desert, according to the city. Overall, 149,000 Birmingham residents live in a food desert. A food desert is an area that “… [lacks] access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a full and healthy diet,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).