MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded $300,000 in grants to provide fresh, healthy food for low-income and senior citizens across the state.
The seven grants will be used for projects ranging from an open-air market in Mobile to a new grocery store in Cherokee. The governor presented the grants Wednesday in a ceremony at the State Capitol.
The goal of the program is to reduce the number of “food deserts.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as a place where at least 33 percent of the population lives far from a store selling fresh, affordable produce - a mile or more away in urban areas or 10 miles in rural areas.
The grants are administered by the state’s department of economic and community affairs.
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