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

Behind the glimmering image of a city constructed on luxury and excess lies a neighborhood where finding something as standard as fresh fruit or a loaf of bread has actually ended up being an everyday battle.


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


But in the shadow of the boardwalk's neon lights, the city's 38,000 homeowners face a grim truth: Atlantic City has actually not had a proper full-service supermarket in almost 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 does not have a supermarket and that's inappropriate,' Mike Suleiman of South Jersey Forward, a local think tank that studied food insecurity in the location, told WHYY.org. 'It's essential for the city to designate someone for food insecurity.'


For many residents, the simple act of grocery shopping develops into an intense journey, from bus trips over bridges to pricey Ubers, or relying on the compassion of loved ones.


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


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


Food insecurity has left Atlantic City ranked among 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 struggling to discover fresh food in Atlantic City say decreases to SNAP advantages could press lots of deeper into appetite


Despite billions flowing through Atlantic City's casinos and traveler restaurants each year, residents state they can't even purchase fresh groceries in their own city


For locals like Rosetta Butler, a 58-year-old who lives in the Atlantic Marina real estate complex, salvation is available in the form of a 40-foot modified bus.


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


'This right here, it's a blessing,' she informed NJ.com, revealing off a bag filled with bread, peanut butter, and veggies.


'It's a truly big blessing for individuals like me, who can't make it to the marketplace quickly ... you know, for individuals who can't drive, are older, or have health issues.'


In 2021, authorities gathered 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) rejected its ask for subsidies. Residents were left blindsided.


'Not having a grocery store after telling residents there would be one is ravaging,' Small Sr. told NJ.com. 'But our grocery store dreams are simply postponed, not dead. We continue to make every effort to discover an irreversible service.'


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, veggies, 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 every week as demand for assistance continues to grow


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


The Washington-based Food Research & Action Center has actually likewise sounded alarms, composing: 'SNAP is not just a safety internet for susceptible locals - it's a critical economic driver and supporting force for whole neighborhoods'.


Grassroots groups are filling the gaps. Alicia 'Lisa' Newcomb, head of the nonprofit C.R.O.P.S., has worked with farmers and corner shops to stock healthier options, even securing brand-new refrigerators for little grocers.


'Grocery shopping looks different in different communities,' she told WHYY.org. 'We dealt with one corner shop to get several new refrigerators and that owner said he desired to be the place where his customers can get great food.'


State officials are also try out imaginative fixes. Tara Colton, chief financial security officer at the NJEDA, points to refrigerated grocery lockers, similar to Amazon pick-up boxes, as a possible design.


'Much like there's nobody cause to food insecurity ... there's also not just one solution,' Colton told NJ.com.


Meanwhile, the operator of Atlantic City's Save A Lot, Shawn Rinnier, intends to expand by 7,000 square feet. 'If we have the ability to pull it off, it 'd be a really great 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 reality is plain. Dozens line up daily for meals. Reverend John Scotland, the executive director of the not-for-profit. who runs the community cooking area, stated need never disappears.


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 three days a week for three hours a day and we're busy the whole time,' he informed WHYY.org.


'We will feed people 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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