'America's Playground' Is Now The Epicenter Of A Food Desert

Behind the glimmering picture of a city constructed on luxury and excess lies a community where finding something as standard as fresh fruit or a loaf of bread has actually ended up being an everyday battle.


The city, nicknamed America's Playground, is a seaside escape of flashy casinos, celebrity-chef dining establishments and endless buffets that drew 24 million tourists in 2024, according to the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. Last year alone, gambling operators generated $5.8 billion.


But in the shadow of the boardwalk's neon lights, the city's 38,000 citizens deal with a grim reality: Atlantic City has actually not had a correct full-service supermarket in almost 28 years, and it now ranks as New Jersey's second-worst food desert, according to a 2022 state research study by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.


'Atlantic City does not have a grocery store and that's inappropriate,' Mike Suleiman of South Jersey Forward, a regional think tank that studied food insecurity in the location, informed WHYY.org. 'It is necessary for the city to designate somebody for food insecurity.'


For numerous homeowners, the basic act of grocery shopping becomes an intense journey, from bus trips over bridges to expensive Ubers, or counting on the kindness of loved ones.


'Fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, chicken, meats ... you can't actually get that at the corner stores, at the little bodegas, however that's mainly all we have here,' Ori Reyes, a teen who has invested her life making the 18-mile trek with her family to a Walmart in Egg Harbor Township, told NJ.com.


'Usually, to discover healthy food that's cost effective, you don't have much of a choice, you have to go to other towns.'


Only 13 percent of households in the Atlantic City-Hammonton area own a car, 2021 U.S. Census data shows.


Food insecurity has left Atlantic City ranked among the worst food deserts in New Jersey


Atlantic City is understood as America's Playground with its beaches, fairground rides and gambling establishments


Families currently having a hard time to find fresh food in Atlantic City say reductions to SNAP benefits could press many much deeper into appetite


Despite billions flowing through Atlantic City's casinos and tourist restaurants each year, citizens state they can't even purchase fresh groceries in their own city


For residents like Rosetta Butler, a 58-year-old who lives in the Atlantic Marina housing complex, redemption is available in the type of a 40-foot modified bus.


Operated by Virtua Health, the 'Eat Well' mobile supermarket pulls into her block on Fridays.


'This right here, it's a godsend,' she told NJ.com, showing off a bag filled with bread, peanut butter, and veggies.


'It's an actually huge blessing for individuals like me, who can't make it to the market quickly ... you know, for individuals who can't drive, are older, or have health issues.'


In 2021, authorities gathered for a triumphant groundbreaking of an $18.7 million ShopRite supermarket at Baltic and Indiana Avenues. Governor Phil Murphy hailed it as a turning point.


But within a year, the offer collapsed. The operator, Village Super Market, took out after the Casino Redevelopment Investment Authority (CRDA) rejected its ask for aids. Residents were left blindsided.


'Not having a grocery store after telling locals there would be one is devastating,' Mayor Marty Small Sr. told NJ.com. 'But our grocery store dreams are just delayed, not dead. We continue to strive to discover an irreversible option.'


Advocates alert that looming cuts to federal food assistance (SNAP) might deepen the crisis.


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Community groups and mobile markets are actioning in to provide fruit, veggies, and dairy to having a hard time households (Pictured: Event offering social services to homeless veterans at All Wars Memorial Building, in Atlantic City Wednesday May 17, 2017)


Nonprofits and churches are feeding hundreds each week as need for help continues to grow


'This is injuring single moms and others across the country and in pockets of New Jersey, it's going to be very bad,' U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman informed NJ. com.


The Washington-based Food Research & Action Center has actually likewise sounded alarms, writing: 'SNAP is not just a safety web for vulnerable residents - it's a vital financial driver and stabilizing force for whole neighborhoods'.


Grassroots groups are filling the gaps. Alicia 'Lisa' Newcomb, head of the not-for-profit C.R.O.P.S., has actually worked with farmers and corner shops to equip much healthier choices, even securing new fridges for little grocers.


'Grocery shopping looks various in different areas,' she informed WHYY.org. 'We dealt with one corner shop to get multiple new refrigerators which owner stated he wanted to be the location where his consumers can get good food.'


State authorities are also exploring with . Tara Colton, chief economic gatekeeper at the NJEDA, indicates refrigerated grocery lockers, similar to Amazon pick-up boxes, as a possible design.


'Much like there's nobody cause to food insecurity ... there's also not just one option,' Colton informed NJ.com.


Meanwhile, the operator of Atlantic City's Save A Lot, Shawn Rinnier, wishes to expand by 7,000 square feet. 'If we have the ability to pull it off, it 'd be an actually nice store with a lot more range,' he informed NJ.com. 'And I believe people here would be actually delighted with it.'


At Sister Jean's Kitchen, the reality appears. Dozens line up daily for meals. Reverend John Scotland, the executive director of the not-for-profit. who runs the neighborhood kitchen, said need never goes away.


All the enjoyable of Atlantic City's boardwalk and piers is seen above


Restaurants on Atlantic City's boardwalk are seen above


'Today, we are open three days a week for three hours a day and we're busy the whole time,' he informed WHYY.org.


'We will feed people due to the fact that they are hungry. We make no judgment of whether they are worthwhile or not. That is what we will continue to do.'


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