March
25,
2016
Dear
Friend,
Last
year,
four
Double
8
Foods
grocery
stores
closed
in
our
community. These
stores
were
located
in
low-income
neighborhoods
where
many
families
lack
a
car
or
reliable
public
transportation
to
get
to
the
nearest
alternative,
often
located
over
a
mile
away.
Sadly,
this
situation
is
not
unique.
Over
29
million
people,
almost
10
percent
of
the
U.S.
population,
live
without
ready
access
to
affordable,
nutritious
food. Many
have
seen
their
local
stores
close
their
doors
during
the
recent
economic
downturn. Others
lost
access
years
ago
and
are
now
facing
the
serious
long-term
impacts
of
obesity,
diabetes,
malnutrition
and
other
diet
related
ailments. Unfortunately,
residents
in
these
low-income
areas
tend
to
spend
less
on
groceries,
leaving
little
financial
incentive
for
traditional
grocery
chains
to
make
costly
investments
in
new
locations.
In
the
wealthiest
country
on
Earth,
nutritious
food
should
be
an
expectation,
not
a
luxury. That
is
why
I
have
introduced
the
Food
Deserts
Act
in
Congress,
legislation
which
creates
new
avenues
to
fund
for-profit,
non-profit,
and
municipally
owned
stores
in
underserved
communities.
This
bill
will
create
USDA
funded,
state
operated
revolving
funds
that
will
issue
low
interest
loans
for
the
operation
of
grocery
stores
in
food
deserts. The
bill
ensures
that
recipients
of
these
loans
will
provide
affordable,
healthy
food,
including
fresh
produce
and
staples
like
milk,
bread
and
meat. It
will
also
ensure
that
USDA
professionals
are
available
to
provide
technical
assistance
to
recipients
who
need
it.
|
Congressman
Carson
introduces
his
Food
Desert
Bill
at
a
press
conference
in
Indianapolis |
Access
to
healthy
food
is
something
that
many
of
us
take
for
granted. But
despite
our
own
experiences,
we
need
to
remember
that
millions
of
Americans
are
struggling
every
day
to
feed
their
families. With
this
market
driven
approach,
I
hope
to
complement
existing
federal
programs
and
efforts
around
the
country
by
ensuring
a
stable
lending
stream
for
struggling
grocery
stores
and
sustainable
access
to
food
for
communities
in
need.
As
always,
if
you
have
any
questions
or
opinions
you
would
like
to
share
with
me,
I
encourage
you
to contact
me.
Your
Friend,
André
|