Food Lion representatives and members of the Dilworth family who previously owned the location, celebrate the grand opening of Food Lion in the renovated Dill’s Food City shopping center in Lavonia on Oct. 14, 2026. (Hazel Cording/NowGeorgia.com)
LAVONIA, Ga. — Hundreds of people lined up early Wednesday to welcome Lavonia’s new Food Lion, but for some shoppers, the excitement went beyond gift cards and grand-opening festivities. It meant having a familiar grocery destination close to home.
For one nearby couple, the convenience is especially meaningful because both have disabilities.
“It is so wonderful,” Lena Osborne said. “Having to go to another city was so hard because we are disabled.”
Her husband, Carl Osborne, among the first customers through the doors, received a gift card and liked what he saw inside. He planned to return when the opening-day crowd thinned so he could take a closer look.
“I’ll definitely be back,” he said.
The Oct. 14 opening featured raffles, family fun and a movie theme, drawing shoppers well before sunrise.
Shoppers filled the sidewalk in front of the newly renovated store waiting for the doors to open and festivities to begin. (Hazel Cording/NowGeorgia.com)
“Nearly 300 people lined up early, with the first person telling me they arrived at 4 a.m.!” said Food Lion Communications Specialist Hannah Allton.
Several members of the Dilworth family attended the ribbon-cutting at the renovated former Dill’s Food City, connecting a new beginning with decades of family history.
A new chapter for a family business
Stan Dilworth said his grandfather started the business with a small community store more than nine decades ago. In 1955, after leaving the military, his father joined the business and opened a roughly 2,000-square-foot store in Royston.
Over the years, the family business expanded, eventually operating a roughly 40,000-square-foot Royston store and, in the mid-1980s, acquiring the Lavonia location from his father’s cousin.
“It’s been a great store for us, great community,” Dilworth said.
The decision to sell came as the family was preparing to rebuild its Royston store after a fire. Plans were progressing, and the family had received a bid for equipment when Food Lion approached them. Dilworth said the cost of rebuilding was surprising. With no children working in the business, the family began considering whether it was time to step away.
Tracy Dilworth speaks during the ribbon-cutting ceremony as his wife, Tracy (left), brother Stan and sister-in-law Karen Dilworth look on. (Hazel Cording/NowGeorgia.com)
As discussions continued, he said, Food Lion emerged as a good match for the stores and their communities.
“They’re the right store for this county,” Dilworth said. “They run great stores.”
He also praised the people involved in the transition, describing them as approachable and easy to work with.
Lavonia Mayor Courtney Umbehant (Hazel Cording/NowGeorgia.com)
Food Lion will now be his family’s grocery store, too.
The Lavonia opening marks a milestone for residents who wondered what would become of the longtime shopping spot when the sale was announced in July. During Wednesday’s ceremony, Lavonia’s mayor, Courtney Umbehant, thanked the Dilworth family and longtime employees for their service and welcomed the new store’s management and staff.
“The city of Lavonia is so proud to have Food Lion as part of our city,” the mayor said.
Helping neighbors facing hunger
Food Lion also marked the opening with a $2,500 donation to Rainbow Pantry in Royston, which the company said would help provide 25,000 meals.
Through its Food Lion Feeds hunger relief program, the store will regularly donate unsold, edible food that might otherwise go to waste. A pantry representative said the organization serves about 13,000 people annually in Franklin, Hart, Madison, and surrounding counties, supported by more than 30 volunteers.
Donnie Bowman of Rainbow Pantry accepts a $ 2,500 donation from Food Lion for the pantry. (Hazel Cording/NowGeorgia.com)
“Over 75% of the people that we serve are over the age of 65. So, they’re making the choice between their prescription pills – their meds – their medical, or groceries. And they said they don’t know how they could make it if the pantry wasn’t there,” said Donnie Bowman of Rainbow Pantry. The pantry distributes food twice a month and holds special distributions throughout the year.
Food Lion also purchased the former Dill’s Food City property in Royston and plans to open a store there.
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