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

Behind the glimmering image of a city developed on luxury and excess lies a neighborhood where finding something as basic as fresh fruit or a loaf of bread has become an everyday struggle.


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


But in the shadow of the boardwalk's neon lights, the city's 38,000 citizens face a grim reality: Atlantic City has not had an appropriate full-service grocery store in nearly 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 doesn't have a grocery store and that's undesirable,' Mike Suleiman of South Jersey Forward, a local think tank that studied food insecurity in the location, informed WHYY.org. 'It is very important for the city to designate somebody for food insecurity.'


For many residents, the basic act of grocery shopping turns into an intense journey, from bus trips over bridges to expensive Ubers, or depending on the kindness of loved ones.


'Fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, chicken, meats ... you can't really get that at the corner shops, at the little bodegas, but that's primarily all we have here,' Ori Reyes, a teen who has actually spent her life making the 18-mile trek with her household to a Walmart in Egg Harbor Township, informed NJ.com.


'Usually, to find healthy food that's budget friendly, you do not have much of a choice, you have to go to other towns.'


Only 13 percent of households in the Atlantic City-Hammonton location own a lorry, 2021 U.S. Census information programs.


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 already struggling to find fresh food in Atlantic City say reductions to SNAP advantages could press lots of deeper into cravings


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


For locals like Rosetta Butler, a 58-year-old who resides in the Atlantic Marina real estate complex, redemption can be found in the form of a 40 bus.


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


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


'It's a really huge blessing for individuals like me, who can't make it to the marketplace quickly ... you understand, for people who can't drive, are older, or have health concerns.'


In 2021, officials collected for a victorious 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 deal collapsed. The operator, Village Super Market, pulled out after the Casino Redevelopment Investment Authority (CRDA) rejected its demand for subsidies. Residents were left blindsided.


'Not having a supermarket after informing homeowners there would be one is ravaging,' Mayor Marty Small Sr. informed NJ.com. 'But our grocery store dreams are simply delayed, not dead. We continue to make every effort to find a long-term service.'


Advocates warn that looming cuts to federal food assistance (SNAP) could deepen the crisis.


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Community groups and mobile markets are actioning in to offer fruit, vegetables, and dairy to struggling families (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 demand for aid continues to grow


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


The Washington-based Food Research & Action Center has actually also sounded alarms, writing: 'SNAP is not just a security net for vulnerable citizens - it's an important financial driver and stabilizing force for entire communities'.


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


'Grocery shopping looks different in various areas,' she told WHYY.org. 'We dealt with one corner store to get several new refrigerators and that owner said he wanted to be the location where his clients can get great food.'


State authorities are likewise experimenting with imaginative fixes. Tara Colton, chief economic gatekeeper at the NJEDA, indicates refrigerated grocery lockers, akin to Amazon pick-up boxes, as a possible model.


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


Meanwhile, the operator of Atlantic City's Save A Lot, Shawn Rinnier, wants to expand by 7,000 square feet. 'If we have the ability to pull it off, it 'd be a really good shop with a lot more variety,' he told NJ.com. 'And I think individuals here would be truly pleased with it.'


At Sister Jean's Kitchen, the truth is plain. Dozens line up daily for meals. Reverend John Scotland, the executive director of the nonprofit. who runs the community kitchen, stated need never ever goes away.


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


Restaurants on Atlantic City's boardwalk are seen above


'Today, we are open 3 days a week for three hours a day and we're hectic the whole time,' he informed WHYY.org.


'We will feed people since they are hungry. We make no judgment of whether they are worthy or not. That is what we will continue to do.'


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