People living in a southeast Raleigh neighborhood have a new place to buy groceries.
About 18 months ago, two Kroger stores closed forcing residents of the South Park area to travel long distances to find fresh, affordable food. Two church groups working with volunteers, opened the Galley Grocery on Bragg Street late last month.
Ashley Lee is a member of the Hope Community Church and helped get the new venture off the ground. She said there are still some challenges to overcome.
“We're really hoping to find some local produce that is affordable,” Lee said. “Some of our produce we've gotten from the farmer's market, some of it we've gotten, you know, from suppliers or other stores, but the ideal would be to find fresh, local produce and we're just working with suppliers to find those sources at prices that will work for the community.”
Lee says the idea for Galley Grocery came from Ship of Zion Church. She says there are plans to expand the store and even take the idea into other communities.
