State Senator Doris Turner has announced that new funding is available under the Illinois Grocery Initiative through grant programs known as New Stores in Food Deserts, Equipment Upgrades, and Grocery Rescue. It represents a $26 million effort to acknowledge food deserts and prevent grocery store closures in communities across the state.
Senator Turner said that the Grocery Initiative has been essential to combating the development of food deserts across the state and that this round of funding will build upon the state’s continued efforts to eliminate food deserts and support local grocers while also boosting the states economy.
The new Grocery Store Rescue program will support efforts to reopen stores that have closed within the preceding 12 months and is designed to help prevent long-term food access loss in low-access tracts.
This round of funding will also integrate a pharmacy component to help address the lack of access to prescription medications, flu shots, and more that confront some communities. These grants will fund construction and renovation costs for new stores as well as operations costs for the first two years after opening.
The Equipment Upgrades Program provides funding for equipment upgrades that are energy-efficient for existing grocery stores. Priority is given to stores located in food-insecure communities across the state.
The program is also designed to strengthen existing grocery stores and preserve access to fresh food to prevent the formation of new food deserts.
The Illinois Grocery Initiative has distributed $19 million in funding since 2024. That included nearly $17 million to build eight new grocery stores across the state and $2 million to assist 14 stores with upgrading equipment.
Applications for the New Stores in Food Deserts Program will be accepted until 5 PM on Dec. 9th. Applications for the Grocery Rescue Program and Equipment Upgrades Program will be accepted on a rolling basis.
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