New community center planned with hopes of bringing affordable, fresh food to west Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Park DuValle Community Health Centers officially broke ground Thursday on its new Community Food Center, aimed at serving an area of Louisville lacking in affordable fresh produce.

On Wilson Avenue near Algonquin Park, the new facility will have an indoor farmers market, a training kitchen and a food pantry. It's part of "Food Is Medicine" initiative, teaching people how to stay healthy by eating the right foods.

Dr. Swannie Jett, CEO of PDCHC, said the site of the new food center was once the home to a "value" grocery store, but the food wasn't affordable to residents.

"It was costly," he said. "The building was dilapidated (and) the refrigeration didn't work, so customers stopped coming here."

The project will be a joint effort with pharmacies, medical providers and the farmer market, allowing health care providers to address nutrition as a vital component of treatment and wellness.

"For our patients, we are going to do 'Food is Medicine" and write prescriptions so their food will be free," Jett said.

The food will be priced at a 20% discounted rate, he said.

"They can shop and feel comfortable shopping and asking questions," Jett said Thursday. "We plan to have brand ambassadors on site who can answer questions about nutrition."

The new food center was made possible by the Park DuValle Community Health Centers McKenzie Scott Endowment, which was established from an investment by the McKenzie Scott Foundation. Jett said the building will require $2.3 million in renovations.

Across the city tens of thousands of people live in food deserts without easy access to healthy, affordable food. The site of the new Community Food Center will aim to fix that in the Park DuValle neighborhood.

"The McKenzie Scott Endowment represents a transformative step for our organization and the communities we serve," Jett said in a news release. "By investing in food security, nutrition education, and preventive health care, we are taking an upstream approach to improving lives now and for generations to come."

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