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

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Behind the glimmering picture of a city developed on luxury and excess lies a community where finding something as basic as fresh fruit or a loaf of bread has actually ended up being a .


The city, nicknamed America's Playground, is a seaside escape of flashy casinos, celebrity-chef restaurants and unlimited buffets that drew 24 million travelers in 2024, according to the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. Last year alone, gambling 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 truth: Atlantic City has actually not had an appropriate full-service supermarket in nearly 28 years, and it now ranks as New Jersey's second-worst food desert, according to a 2022 state study by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.


'Atlantic City doesn't have a supermarket and that's inappropriate,' Mike Suleiman of South Jersey Forward, a local think tank that studied food insecurity in the location, informed WHYY.org. 'It is essential for the city to designate someone for food insecurity.'


For numerous residents, the easy act of grocery shopping becomes a grueling journey, from bus rides over bridges to expensive Ubers, or depending on the compassion of family members.


'Fresh fruits, fresh veggies, chicken, meats ... you can't actually get that at the corner shops, at the little bodegas, but that's mainly all we have here,' Ori Reyes, a teen who has actually invested 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 economical, you don't have much of an alternative, you have to go to other towns.'


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


Food insecurity has left Atlantic City ranked amongst the worst food deserts in New Jersey


Atlantic City is understood as America's Playground with its beaches, fairground rides and gambling establishments


Families currently struggling to find fresh food in Atlantic City state decreases to SNAP advantages might push many deeper into appetite


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


For residents like Rosetta Butler, a 58-year-old who lives in the Atlantic Marina housing complex, salvation comes in the type of a 40-foot converted 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 informed NJ.com, revealing off a bag filled with bread, peanut butter, and vegetables.


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


In 2021, officials collected for a victorious groundbreaking of an $18.7 million ShopRite grocery store at Baltic and Indiana Avenues. Governor Phil Murphy hailed it as a turning point.


But within a year, the offer collapsed. The operator, Village Super Market, took out after the Casino Redevelopment Investment Authority (CRDA) declined its request for subsidies. Residents were left blindsided.


'Not having a grocery store after telling citizens there would be one is ravaging,' Mayor Marty Small Sr. informed NJ.com. 'But our grocery store dreams are just delayed, not dead. We continue to strive to discover a permanent solution.'


Advocates caution 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 supply fruit, vegetables, and dairy to having a hard time households (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 weekly as demand for help continues to grow


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


The Washington-based Food Research & Action Center has likewise sounded alarms, writing: 'SNAP is not simply a safety net for vulnerable residents - it's a crucial financial chauffeur and supporting force for whole communities'.


Grassroots groups are filling the spaces. Alicia 'Lisa' Newcomb, head of the not-for-profit C.R.O.P.S., has worked with farmers and corner stores to equip much healthier alternatives, even securing new fridges for little grocers.


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


State officials are also try out creative fixes. Tara Colton, chief economic security officer at the NJEDA, points to cooled grocery lockers, akin to Amazon pick-up boxes, as a possible model.


'Much like there's no one cause to food insecurity ... there's also not only one option,' 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're able to pull it off, it 'd be a truly nice shop with a lot more variety,' he told NJ.com. 'And I think people here would be really 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 not-for-profit. who runs the neighborhood cooking area, said need never disappears.


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


Restaurants on Atlantic City's boardwalk are seen above


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


'We will feed individuals due to the fact that they are hungry. We make no judgment of whether they merit or not. That is what we will continue to do.'


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