Jay Agina already stocked a few vegetables in his Park Hill corner grocery store — mostly potatoes and onions — but when the city offered an opportunity for healthier options, he was more than happy to oblige.
Agina owns the Fairfax Market, 2835 Fairfax St. He was approached last year to be part of the Denver Healthy Corner Store Initiative, a pilot program to increase access to healthy options in designated food deserts — areas typically without access to fresh, healthy and affordable food.
"Anything to help with the neighborhood and the business," Agina said.
Six stores participated in the city's pilot project run by the Department of Environmental Health. The program was extended for two more years thanks to $660,932 in funding from the Colorado Health Foundation.
The goal is to enroll 50 stores in the program by mid 2017 and continue from there, while also connecting store owners with local growers to stock shelves with locally grown produce.
"We want a model of local growers to corner stores to families to the plate," said Shawn Johnson, director of community affairs for the mayor's office.
Denver Environmental Health staff have worked with the six participating stores to show them where to get produce, how to market it in the store, how to handle it so it doesn't go bad and how to price it so the store can make money.
"It's a nice way to take advantage of the fact that there is a willing, capable store owner here in the neighborhood who wants to serve their neighborhood, but needs a little technical assistance on how to do that," said Heidi Hoffman a Denver Environmental Health food access program administrator.
Hoffman added that some of the stores struggled at first, but they started seeing traction as the year progressed and people in the neighborhood realized there were healthier choices available.
Gem Food Mart, 2958 Downing St., was another store in the pilot program. Owner Abdul Hakim noted that more people have come in for produce.
He said he carried some bananas and apples at first but has expanded and noticed an uptick in sales.
"People are asking for it — I have trouble keeping up with them sometimes," Hakim said.
Lindsay Saperstone, the Denver Healthy Corner Store Initiative program administrator, has been the point person to coordinate with store owners. She said the six original stores will now go into maintenance mode as she tries to enroll new stores. She is aiming for 12 stores this month.
Saperstone will maintain contact with the stores already enrolled and continue to look for ways to connect them with local farmers.
"I think the gold prize would certainly be a lot of locally sourced products," she said.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock toured three of the six stores in the program July 31 at a celebration of the pilot program and its two-year renewal.
He touted the program's success but added that there is a long way to go.
"The fact is we've had too many challenges with food deserts and working communities not having access to fresh produce," Hancock said. "We're seeing more people going in and instead of buying something that's not healthy, buying fresh fruit and vegetables."
At the Fairfax Market, Agina said he would recommend the program to his fellow corner store owners, noting that there is little risk on the store's end. Plus, it gives people a quick option to grab something they might need for a meal.
"It's a last-minute item," he said. "You don't want to go to the grocery for just a tomato."