Even before its official opening, a West Philly grocery store with a brave new service model has been helping neighbors in need

A sustainable grocery store founded by two University of Pennsylvania graduates is gearing up to open its doors this summer, helping Philadelphians navigate the new challenges facing those who receive federal nutrition assistance and promoting access to healthy, nutritious meals.

The Community Grocer will open its flagship location to the general public at 60th and Walton streets in West Philadelphia later this year after over two years of construction. In addition to the fresh produce, meats, dairy and other household staples that can be purchased with monthly SNAP stipends, the store will also feature affordable meal kits for purchase.

Under USDA rules, SNAP benefits cannot be used on hot or prepared foods. However, to prioritize access to healthy meals, Community Grocer customers who receive SNAP benefits will be able to buy grab-and-go meal kits that they can immediately exchange for cooked versions of the same meals at a commercial kitchen in the back of the building.

The organization’s mission — building a “stronger, healthier tomorrow” — has been constant since co-founders Eli Moraru and Alex Imbot began working together during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moraru said the group has worked with the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic to ensure compliance with USDA policy given the typical limitations on purchasing hot meals. This work means that The Community Grocer is presenting itself as “the first retailer in the country to effectively allow SNAP recipients to walk away with a hot, healthy, delicious meal in full compliance with the federal policy.”

However, in recent months, The Community Grocer has been forced to navigate the effects of federal changes to SNAP on Philadelphians.

Recent federal changes to SNAP added new work requirements for some adults. As of last September, recipients who are between 18 and 54 and do not have children must now document at least 20 hours a week of work, volunteering or job training to keep their benefits. As a result, the state Department of Human Services projected 144,000 Pennsylvanians — including 45,000 in Philadelphia County alone —could lose access to benefits.

“SNAP has never been enough to sustain a store, to sustain a community, or sustain families,  and ever since the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill, it’s even less likely to do so,” Moraru said.

The Community Grocer is also working with local health care providers like Penn Medicine and Jefferson Health on pilot programs that would provide certain populations with “medically necessary grocery stipends to increase purchasing power” and ensure those in need can afford healthy food, Moraru said. For example, Penn Medicine’s OB-GYN team is providing local mothers with weekly gift cards to The Community Grocer as part of a study on how healthy food affects postpartum health.

“It’s a way for us to connect and fill in some of those gaps that have been disappearing,” Moraru said.

As the group prepares for the long-awaited opening of its storefront, its managers and volunteers are still prioritizing what’s most important: the community. The organization has been distributing over 150 meals weekly to those in need.

Janice Choice — known as Chef Jamila — has volunteered with The Community Grocer’s weekly meal distributions and cooks for the group on a fairly regular basis.

“A couple of seniors that I talk to [say] ‘Wow, I can’t wait till [The Community Grocer] opens, and then I don’t have to worry,’” she said. “Some seniors don’t have the strength or energy to cook anything, or they don’t know what to do with some of the vegetables and fruit that they get, and how to get the best nutritional meal out of it. [The Community Grocer] is able to bring the fruit and vegetables and nutrition that they need as seniors to their comfort level.”

West Philadelphia’s Chyrisse Blakely, known as Ms. Nikki, said she and her sons have been helping out at The Community Grocer since its inception.

“For number one, we need to eat healthier in neighborhoods, so that’s the plus for us,” she said. “Everybody around has been helping out the best way they can. It’s just been an amazing pleasure to be involved.”

General manager Issa James wrote in a statement that The Community Grocer has partnered with local groups like Farmer Jawn, “who owns the largest regenerative organic Black woman-owned farm in the country.”

Power of Paint co-founder Vanessa Young said that each week, The Community Grocer provides up to 25 meals for one of her organization’s after-school programs, taking some of the financial burden off of the group. It’s an initiative that has gained even more significance since the changes to SNAP benefits began.

“Our initiatives kicked off during the height of the freezes to SNAP, and that really showed what might be possible to come, and how scary food insecurity in the city could be,” she said. “It’s already bad enough that these young people are growing up in food deserts, but then to have programs that they’ve come to lean on being taken away in such a drastic way, it really can make young people susceptible to all types of hunger and illness.”

Young added that she hopes to see The Community Grocer’s model replicated in Philadelphia and other cities nationwide.

“This is the solution for food security in Philadelphia,” Moraru said. “Everyone is recognizing that the work our neighbors and we have been putting together is bigger than one store; it’s about an entire system. Philly’s doing it best, and Philly’s doing it in the best way possible, and that’s with community.”