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On campus grocery store coming to Huffman Middle School in Fall 2025
PAY FOR ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES. AND A GROCERY STORE INSIDE HUFFMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPECTED TO CLOSE THE FOOD INSECURITY GAP IN THAT COMMUNITY. WVTM 13 S MAGDALA LOUISSAINT IS JOINING US LIVE INSIDE OF THE SCHOOL’S BOARD OF EDUCATION BUILDING. MAGDALA. WHAT DO BOARD MEMBERS HAVE TO DO WITH THIS? SO BRITTANY IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WILL BE MEETING HERE IN THIS ROOM TO DISCUSS THE GROCERY STORE PLAN AND THEN ALSO VOTE ON IT. SO IF APPROVED THOUGH, THIS WILL ONLY SEAL WHAT BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ALREADY DID TODAY. AND THAT IS SAYING YES, THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, CLINTON WOODS, TELLS ME A VISIT BACK AT A SCHOOL IN ATLANTA BACK IN 2021 IS WHAT HELPED THEM GET TO THIS POINT. FINDING CREATIVE AND NEW WAYS TO SOLVE ISSUES. AND SO THEY DEFINITELY FOUND SOME WAYS TO DO THAT HERE. BUT OF COURSE WE WANT TO FIGURE OUT HOW CAN WE DO THAT IN BIRMINGHAM. A SIMILAR ON SITE SCHOOL GROCERY STORE IS SEEN AT THIS ATLANTA MIDDLE SCHOOL WILL SOON BE INSIDE HUFFMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL. PUTTING THAT GROCERY STORE IN THAT SCHOOL GIVES ONE STUDENTS OPPORTUNITY TO MEET SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE. THE STORE, STOCKED WITH EVERYTHING FROM FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES TO MIGHT BE OREOS, CEREAL, BUT ALSO FROZEN FOODS AND AND MEAT AND THINGS THAT THEY CAN TAKE HOME AND COOK. BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCILOR CLINTON WOODS SAYS THIS PILOT PROJECT WILL ADDRESS SOME FOOD INSECURITY IN THE COMMUNITY. I THINK WE’VE ALL HEARD STORIES AND CONCERNS FROM THE COMMUNITY AROUND, YOU KNOW, OUR STUDENTS GETTING THREE MEALS A DAY. IS THERE ANY GAPS IN THAT? WE’VE TALKED ABOUT FOOD DESERTS, AND A LOT OF OUR CITY DOES EXIST IN FOOD DESERTS. AND SO WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE CREATIVE AND IMPLEMENT A DISTRIBUTION METHOD FOR FOOD TO GET HOMEWOOD SAYS A GROUP CALLED GOODR WILL WORK WITH A LOCAL GROCERY STORE IN THE MAGIC CITY TO SUPPLY THE SCHOOL GROCERY STORE SO STUDENTS OR PARENTS CAN BUY FRESH FOOD AND PRODUCE. THEY SIMPLY USE THE DIGITAL PLATFORM TO SCHEDULE A DATE THAT COULD BE A PARENT, THAT COULD BE THE STUDENT, BUT REALLY JUST ALLOWS THEM TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACCESS THAT STORE. THE STORE IS RESTOCKED ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO OVER $277,000 WILL GET THIS PILOT PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING IN HUFFMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL. IT’S SUPPOSED TO LAST TWO SCHOOL SEMESTERS, AND IT STARTS NEXT FALL. SO WOODS ALSO MENTIONS TO ME, DEPENDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM AND FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS, THEY’LL SEE WHETHER THEY CAN EXPAND IT AT OTHER SCHOOLS WITHIN THEIR DISTRICT, AND BOE MEMBERS WILL BE MEETING AGAIN TONIGHT, SO BE SURE TO CHECK OUR WEBSITE. WVTM 13.COM SO WE CAN TELL YOU HOW THEY VOTED ON THIS DECISION. WE’RE LIV
On campus grocery store coming to Huffman Middle School in Fall 2025
Birmingham City School Board of Education members will have the final say during a work session on Tuesday to discuss and vote on putting an on-site grocery store in Huffman Middle School.The vote will approve the memorandum of agreement contract between the school district and City of Birmingham leaders. Councilor Clinton Woods’ visit to an Atlanta middle school in 2021 and seeing how a school grocery store in that school sparked the idea to bring it back to Birmingham, more specifically at Huffman Middle School. "Putting that grocery store in that school gives one, students the opportunity to meet some of the needs that they have. The store is stocked with everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, might be Oreos, cereal, frozen food, meats and things they can take home to cook,” Wood said.Woods says the pilot project will address some food insecurity in the community.“I think we've all heard stories and concerns from the community around if students are getting three meals a day, is there any gaps in that? We've talked about food deserts, and a lot of our city does exist in food deserts. We had the opportunity to be creative and implement a distribution method for food to get home,” Woods said.Woods adds a group called 'Goodr' will work with a local grocery store in Birmingham to supply the school grocery store so students or parents can buy fresh food and produce.“They simply use a digital platform to schedule a date. That could be the parent, that could be a student. really just gives them the ability to access that store. the store is restocked on a regular basis,” Woods said.The pilot program will be funded through Wood’s American Rescue Plan Act fund. A total of $277,500 will fund the pilot program at Huffman Middle and it’s expected to last for two school years. Wood adds depending on its success and feedback from parents they will implement it at other schools within his district. Open hours still need to solidify, but we’re told it will be open during school hours.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —
Birmingham City School Board of Education members will have the final say during a work session on Tuesday to discuss and vote on putting an on-site grocery store in Huffman Middle School.
The vote will approve the memorandum of agreement contract between the school district and City of Birmingham leaders.
Councilor Clinton Woods’ visit to an Atlanta middle school in 2021 and seeing how a school grocery store in that school sparked the idea to bring it back to Birmingham, more specifically at Huffman Middle School.
"Putting that grocery store in that school gives one, students the opportunity to meet some of the needs that they have. The store is stocked with everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, might be Oreos, cereal, frozen food, meats and things they can take home to cook,” Wood said.
Woods says the pilot project will address some food insecurity in the community.
“I think we've all heard stories and concerns from the community around if students are getting three meals a day, is there any gaps in that? We've talked about food deserts, and a lot of our city does exist in food deserts. We had the opportunity to be creative and implement a distribution method for food to get home,” Woods said.
Woods adds a group called 'Goodr' will work with a local grocery store in Birmingham to supply the school grocery store so students or parents can buy fresh food and produce.
“They simply use a digital platform to schedule a date. That could be the parent, that could be a student. [It] really just gives them the ability to access that store. the store is restocked on a regular basis,” Woods said.
The pilot program will be funded through Wood’s American Rescue Plan Act fund.
A total of $277,500 will fund the pilot program at Huffman Middle and it’s expected to last for two school years.
Wood adds depending on its success and feedback from parents they will implement it at other schools within his district.
Open hours still need to solidify, but we’re told it will be open during school hours.
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