LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- On Wilson Avenue in Louisville's Park Duvalle neighborhood, wooden boards and "CLOSED" signs fill the windows of what was the area's only grocery store.
That store, Cash Saver, closed several months ago, leaving Park Duvalle's food desert even drier.
"Some areas, some people, got to go so far to get groceries," said Clarence McCuchen, who lives nearby.
Across the street from the closed grocery is the Park Duvalle Community Health Center, and thanks to a multimillion-dollar donation, it could help solve the food desert problem.
"No matter where you live, no matter what part of life you come from, you should get that," said Dr. Swannie Jett, the health center's CEO.
Last week, philanthropist Mackenzie Scott donated $4.8 million to the center. Some of the money will go toward the center's dental department and expand behavioral health services. Money will also go toward a farmers market project to help with food scarcity.
"Somebody recognized the work that I've done for decades but also the work that Park Duvalle has done in giving back to the community," Jett said.
Jett believes the money will go a long way in keeping necessary resources within the community.
"I will continue, in this operation, not just focusing on things inside but external that can improve the community," he said.
Though the Cash Saver grocery will remain empty, just a few hundred yards away, resources at the health center and a new farmer's market could change the landscape of a historic Louisville neighborhood.
"I feel like it'll help the community," said Jaquila Carney, who lives nearby. "It'll be a lot closer. You won't have to struggle to go so far, so many miles to get where you have to go."
Park Duvalle has seven health centers in five communities in Kentuckiana and two Jefferson County Public Schools buildings.
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