MARKS, Miss — Some local good news: Local 24 News Weeknight Anchor Katina Rankin has an update to our online documentary, The Mule Train.
In the documentary, we discovered the entire Mississippi county of Quitman is a food desert. There is not a grocery store in the entire county, and residents must drive or catch a ride one hour one way to buy groceries.
Well, we are happy to report, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative has awarded a $200,000 grant to the county to help them open a grocery store. The Healthy Food Financing Initiative aims to improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas and to revitalize low-income communities.
With the grant, the Quitman County Board of Supervisors is collaborating with the City of Marks and Jeffcoat's Family Market, an independent grocer, to reopen a full-service grocery store in Marks, Mississippi.
The grant will help Jeffcoat's Family Market renovate the old supermarket site acquired from the City of Marks. And a partnership with a Mississippi Delta Council food hub will supply local produce to the store.
We'll keep you updated on when the grocery store opens for our neighbors down in Marks.
In the meantime, if you haven't seen the documentary, CLICK HERE.
