NEW ORLEANS — For parts of New Orleans, finding a place to shop for groceries can be difficult, and now it might be getting harder as some Dollar General stores get set to close, but this week residents protested.
Residents called for the Dollar General on Morrison Road to stay open, but it's not the only one closing. According to our partners at the Times Picayune-New Orleans Advocate, five outlets in New Orleans East and Gentilly are set to close. There are closing signs plastered on the Old Gentilly Road store.
Councilman Eugene Green whose district will see some of the stores close says residents need to look on the bright side. He says the spaces could be used for something else.
Councilman Green said, "Sometimes Eleanor the market makes changes that inconvenience a lot of people but at the end of the day but it's an opportunity for those who want to see the type of business they want to see operated."
He went on to say, "For those who may want to use the spaces, create their own grocery stores, to build the businesses they want to see happen, to invest."
Councilman Oliver Thomas who's been a huge advocate for investing back into his district, New Orleans East, said, "Anytime businesses are closing families and jobs are affected. There has to be an effort by the city and our business community to help those families and market those locations for compatible uses."
While the five stores Nola.com says are slated to close, there are other grocery options, including two Walmarts and a Winn Dixie.
Natori Green with the Broadmoor Improvement Association and the Broadmoor Food Pantry says the pantry is seeing more and more people needing food assistance. She said, "With grocery stores closing and food access dwindling, people have limited resources and they have to seek out pantries."
She went on to say the closures could exacerbate the city's food desert crisis, saying, "Having stores like Dollar General and the like be accessible is important because it is in closer walking distance."
WWL Louisiana reached out to Dollar General and have not heard back.
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