Baton Rouge, LA (WGMB/WVLA) —
If you live in one of the many food deserts in Baton Rouge you’ll soon be able to get the fresh foods you need to maintain and live a healthier lifestyle.
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Tuesday announced a major milestone in her effort to bring healthy food retail stores to North Baton Rouge.
The initiative not only addresses access to nutritional food for underserved areas, it also addresses the continued investment in the revitalization of the area.
Hope Enterprise Corporation, a vital partner in this effort, is now advertising a full-time position for a Commercial Loan Officer, which is dedicated to identifying a grocer and offering a financial incentive package
to help them locate a retail space in the area.
Mayor Broome’s Healthy Foo Retail Initiative utilizes the Federal Community Development Block Grant funding, in partnership with Mayor Broome’s Geaux Get Healthy Initiative.
Through this capital, innovative business loans will be offered through Hope Enterprise Corporation structured to assist businesses in locating into food desert areas.
The Mayor’s office says in the past year, nearly $2 million has been invested in designated food deserts as part of the Geaux Get Healthy initiative, funded in partnership with the Humana Foundation and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation, with plans being made to continue this next year.
