In the works for two years, a food shopping alternative in one of Connecticut’s most impoverished neighborhoods will open May 30, offering a new approach in a city struggling to build a viable ecosystem that delivers fresh, healthful groceries.
The Grocery on Broad, near the Fire by Forge restaurant in Hartford’s Frog Hollow, is offering shoppers the opportunity to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and ingredients to make meals. Prices will be discounted based on individual and family income, and can be combined with other low-income subsidies such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The market’s goal is to open up more options to buy fresh groceries and ease what it costs to make purchases, said Ben Dubow, executive director of the Hartford-based nonprofit Forge City Works, which will operate Grocery on Broad.
“What we’re really trying to do is address both,” Dubow said. “To me, it’s just part of the puzzle. It’s not the whole thing. We don’t see ourselves replacing traditional food pantries or other programs like that. But we think we can be a good supplement for people and provide ongoing, continuing access to more healthy, wholesome, real foods on a regular basis.”
