More fresh fruit, vegetables will soon be headed to Wichita ‘food deserts.’ Here’s how

The shelves and run-down refrigerators at Mr. MC's Market in north Wichita are running low, mainly because many local produce items aren't in season. But that's soon to change.

The market, on 21st Street near I-135, is in a food desert. Mr. MC's is also the first store to take part in the city of Wichita's new Healthy Corner Store Initiative.

The program will help several corner stores in town get new refrigerators and maintain them so that they can sell fresh produce.

"It's going to make everything better," the market's CEO, Alicia Broomfield, said. "We're going to get proper refrigeration so that we can have more available fruits and vegetables and healthy food options.

"It's kind of hard to keep things fresh without refrigeration, so that was one of the biggest things that's going to change. We're going to have a lot more to offer because we can have a safe place to store it."

Planning for the initiative started in 2020. It's part of the city's Food Master Plan to address food desert issues in the community.

According to the city of Wichita, nearly a quarter of city residents live in a food desert, meaning the nearest grocery store is more than a mile away and hard to navigate to without a vehicle.

The corner store program, approved by the Wichita City Council earlier this month, will help smaller markets like Mr. MC's get refrigerators so they can stock produce and other items that need to stay cold.

Broomfield said getting working refrigerators and maintaining them was the biggest hurdle for keeping fresh food in stock.

"It's pricey," Broomfield said. "Mentally, it felt out of reach. You're a small business, trying to stay afloat in the economy, and you have these big dreams and goals of helping, and you need help. You're trying to keep it together."

Mr. MC's, which was formerly P&P Bait & Seed for decades, currently stocks nonperishable foods and fishing bait, and runs a soul food restaurant on the weekends. It also often carries some fresh produce, like watermelon and collard greens when they are in season, but the owners said it's hard to do so when their refrigerators regularly give out on them.

Once they have new refrigeration units, they hope to expand their offerings of fresh produce, especially from local farmers.

Along with being the first store to be part of the program, Mr. MC's is tasked with helping the city identify several other stores that can address food insecurity issues in their community.

"We've definitely been talking to some different stores. All of them are kind of located within those food desert, food insecure areas," the store's general manager Quantin McIntosh said.

The program also will include neighborhood liaisons to get communities involved in the program and nutrition consultants who will assist the stores with SNAP and WIC benefits.

Implementation of this long-awaited plan comes as several Dollar General stores in town, mainly in food deserts, also start installing refrigerators to carry fresh produce.

Dollar General began adding produce to its stores after some studies found that the stores contribute to food deserts , and are often the only retailer in smaller towns.

City council vote In its final hurdle before implementation, the initiative narrowly won approval from the Wichita City Council on a 4-3 vote.

Mayor Lily Wu and council members Dalton Glasscock and J.V. Johnston voted against it. They voiced concerns about using a million dollars of American Rescue Plan Act money for the initiative.

The money must be committed by the end of 2024 and spent by 2026.

"I can't in good faith support something that doesn't have a sustainable funding model apart from this body of government later, that we would feel pressures when we're facing deficits in 26, 27, and 28 to be able to continue this," Glasscock said.

"While I believe it's an incredibly important initiative, and a community-driven initiative, I don't believe that is the purpose or the will of this body to make that decision."

Wu also unsuccessfully made a move during the meeting to require freeze drying equipment be part of the program. The equipment dehydrates food in order to preserve it.

"I love the idea of it, but I just think that's throwing a whole new wrench into an already long, well-thought-out plan," council member Maggie Ballard said during the meeting.

At Mr. MC's, general manager McIntosh said they would be open to the idea.

"Being able to freeze dry stuff... while still in its optimal shape, just to... cut down on food loss and things like that," McIntosh said. "That's another revenue source, and it's another healthy option."

Broomfield said she expects the store to begin installing fridges and to start stocking fresh produce by the beginning of next year.

"It's going to help a lot of people," she said.