With more than 25,000 residents, West Oakland has long needed a grocery store offering fresh and nutritious food at affordable prices.

People’s Grocery is 11-year non-profit based in West Oakland that focuses on community building through urban agriculture and food justice projects. Most recently, it has partnered with City Slicker Farms to support the development of the Farm Park on 27^th and Peralta.

< p>Now, People’s Grocery is the driving force behind the creation of People’s Community Market (PCM), a community grocery store to be built near West Grand Avenue and Market Street.

People’s Grocery has convened a Community Advisory Council (CAC) grocery store project, focusing on branding and developing plans for food merchandise, local workforce development, health and wellness, programming and advocacy.

However, the biggest push behind PCM is the Credible’s Campaign, which is working to recruit 300 West Oakland residents to purchase store credit in $100, $200, $300 and $500 denominations. The final goal is to raise quarter million dollars by Spring 2014.

“We need the help of the West Oakland community to show that we have capital to invest in our grocery store,” said Jomoke Hodge, who serves as the program director for People’s Grocery.

Hinton-Hodge is also serves on the Oakland Board of Education and this years is vice president of the board.

“The grocery store is for us, but we want to make sure it’s by us, “ said Curtis Fleming, senior pastor of Bay Community Fellowship. His congregation has raised a $1,000 to invest in PCM.

“We feel so strongly that West Oakland should have its own grocery store where the residents can find the best of everything,” he added.

Through fundraising efforts, PCM has already raised $872,000 from investors. If the million-dollar mark is hit by January, land negotiations and purchasing will move forward.

The goal is to have the store open by fall 2014, according to Hodge.

For more information about PCM or to become a founding investor, visit www.peoplescommunitymarket.com

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post