'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 community where finding something as standard as fresh fruit or a loaf of bread has actually ended up being a day-to-day battle.


The city, nicknamed America's Playground, is a seaside escape of flashy casinos, celebrity-chef dining establishments and endless buffets that drew 24 million travelers in 2024, according to the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. In 2015 alone, gambling operators generated $5.8 billion.


But in the shadow of the boardwalk's neon lights, the city's 38,000 locals face a grim truth: Atlantic City has not had a proper full-service grocery store in almost 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 .


'Atlantic City does not have a supermarket and that's undesirable,' Mike Suleiman of South Jersey Forward, a local think tank that studied food insecurity in the area, told WHYY.org. 'It is essential for the city to designate somebody for food insecurity.'


For numerous residents, the simple act of grocery shopping develops into a grueling journey, from bus trips over bridges to costly Ubers, or relying on the compassion of family members.


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


'Usually, to discover healthy food that's affordable, you don't have much of an alternative, you need to go to other towns.'


Only 13 percent of families in the Atlantic City-Hammonton area own a lorry, 2021 U.S. Census information shows.


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


Atlantic City is referred to as America's Playground with its beaches, fairground trips and casinos


Families already having a hard time to discover fresh food in Atlantic City say decreases to SNAP advantages might push numerous much deeper into hunger


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


For homeowners like Rosetta Butler, a 58-year-old who lives in the Atlantic Marina housing complex, salvation can be found in the type of a 40-foot modified 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, displaying a bag filled with bread, peanut butter, and veggies.


'It's a really big true blessing for individuals like me, who can't make it to the market easily ... you understand, for individuals who can't drive, are older, or have health issues.'


In 2021, officials collected for a triumphant 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 offer collapsed. The operator, Village Super Market, pulled out after the Casino Redevelopment Investment Authority (CRDA) declined its ask for subsidies. Residents were left blindsided.


'Not having a supermarket after informing locals there would be one is ravaging,' Mayor Marty Small Sr. informed NJ.com. 'But our grocery store dreams are just postponed, not dead. We continue to strive to discover an irreversible solution.'


Advocates warn that looming cuts to federal food help (SNAP) might deepen the crisis.


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Community groups and mobile markets are stepping in to offer fruit, veggies, and dairy to struggling 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 each week as demand for aid continues to grow


'This is harming single moms and others across the nation and in pockets of New Jersey, it's going to be extremely bad,' U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman told NJ. com.


The Washington-based Food Research & Action Center has likewise sounded alarms, composing: 'SNAP is not just a safety net for vulnerable homeowners - it's an important financial chauffeur 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 worked with farmers and corner stores to equip healthier choices, even securing new fridges for little grocers.


'Grocery shopping looks different in various communities,' she told WHYY.org. 'We worked with one corner shop to get several brand-new fridges and that owner said he wished to be the location where his consumers can get good food.'


State officials are likewise explore creative fixes. Tara Colton, chief financial security officer at the NJEDA, points to cooled grocery lockers, akin to Amazon pick-up boxes, as a possible design.


'Similar to there's nobody cause to food insecurity ... there's likewise not just one option,' Colton informed NJ.com.


Meanwhile, the operator of Atlantic City's Save A Lot, Shawn Rinnier, hopes to broaden by 7,000 square feet. 'If we're able to pull it off, it 'd be a truly nice shop with a lot more range,' he informed NJ.com. 'And I believe individuals here would be actually pleased with it.'


At Sister Jean's Kitchen, the reality is plain. Dozens line up daily for meals. Reverend John Scotland, the executive director of the not-for-profit. who runs the community kitchen, 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 3 days a week for three hours a day and we're busy 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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