By Melanie Young, KALW
In San Francisco’s Tenderloin, getting healthy fare often is not an option. Without a full-service grocery store in the neighborhood, residents rely on corner stores, and the district has the city’s highest concentration of convenience stores.
Tenderloin resident Steve Tennis says what they sell is often, “Poison, it’s just poison. Mothers with little kids in their arms in their strollers. What is the first thing these children see that are two, three years old? Candy, alcohol, dirty books. Nothing healthy. If this is your experience, week in and week out, it doesn’t take long for you to get hard wired to that food source.”
While much of their merchandise is not nutritious, the stores are part of the fabric of the neighborhood. So a team of residents and neighborhood leaders is helping storeowners learn how they can offer more healthy food options profitably.
Read the complete story at KALW. KALW produced this story in association with the “Old & Poor in Tech City” collaboration between New America Media and Central City Extra.
