Linden Fresh Market and Charitable Pharmacy opens to provide needed access to fresh produce and health care services in historic neighborhood
During a celebratory opening ceremony, Columbus Mayor Andrew
J. Ginther announced the Linden Fresh Market and Charitable Pharmacy are
officially open and will serve as the Linden
neighborhood’s destination for free fresh and nutritious food and pharmacy services.
Until now, the Linden community had limited access to healthy food
alternatives.
“A little more than a year ago, the city and like-minded community partners announced
plans for the Linden Fresh Market, and we are proud to announce the opening of
this neighborhood site of good will,” said Mayor Ginther. “The pledge to
revitalize a piece of this treasured Columbus neighborhood was heralded by
Columbus Next Generation, and their leadership from renovation to the opening
is a testament to their vision for reviving underserved, yet vibrant,
communities.”
The Fresh Market and Charitable Pharmacy are located at 1464
Cleveland Avenue on the site of the former Eagle Market carryout. A longtime
nuisance property, the City of Columbus purchased the site to redevelop it. In
collaboration with Linden neighborhood advocates and leaders, the city, along
with community stakeholders and partners, designed a concept that would meet
the immediate needs of its residents. Mayor Ginther and the city announced
plans for the project in July 2020.
The Fresh Market is run by Community Development for All
People (CD4AP), the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio and Nationwide
Children’s Hospital.
“Access to healthy food is critical
for families to thrive, and we are excited to help improve this access for the
Linden neighborhood,” said Rev. John Edgar, executive director,
Community Development for All People. “Many
Linden residents already shop at our All People’s Fresh Market on the South
Side. Bringing the same quality food closer to home will ensure that the new
Market will help many people eat better foods and live healthier
lives.”
CD4AP was created with the goal to bring neighborhood
residents together and provide individual and community resources.
Nationwide has committed a total investment of $1 million to
CD4AP for use in the South Linden community, including $450,000 for the market,
$75,000 of which is being used for the acquisition and installation of a
walk-in cooler and associated equipment. Nationwide will provide the remaining
balance over the market’s first five years at $75,000 annually to cover 50% of
the market’s projected annual operating costs.
“We are excited to partner in what we
believe will be a transformative community resource that will make a difference
in the day-to-day lives of many Linden families and residents,” said Nationwide
CEO Kirt Walker. “We’re committed to enriching the communities where our employees
live and work. This is especially important to us because it’s in our hometown,
and it brings to life our belief that all people should have access to meeting
basic needs.”
The Linden Fresh Market represents just one of many investments
the city and community partners are making in the neighborhood to advance
needed projects identified in the One Linden Plan, a comprehensive study
undertaken by the city and the Linden community. Other commitments include the
new Linden Community Center, a new fire station on Oakland Park, housing by
Homeport and Habitat for Humanity, and the redesign of Hudson Avenue.
Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families (HNHF), an initiative
formed by Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2008, seeks to create positive
health outcomes in communities. Now providing support in the Linden area, HNHF
will supplement and expand upon the One Linden Plan.
“Nationwide Children’s has been a proud member of the Linden
community for more than 25 years through our primary care center and school-based
programs,” said Tim Robinson, CEO, Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “But we know
that health is about more than medical care. The Fresh Market and Charitable
Pharmacy are natural next steps for us and our partners to make a different
kind of impact, guided by the One Linden Plan and our conversations with the
Linden community. We want every child and every family to succeed. When the
Linden neighborhood thrives, we all thrive.”
About Columbus Next Generation Corporation
NextGen is a
nonprofit funded by the City of Columbus that helps turn underutilized
properties into places that can make neighborhoods thrive. We work with
neighborhood residents and organizations, funders, business owners,
community-minded developers and other groups.
About Community Development for All People
Community
Development for All People (CD4AP) grew out of a message of unconditional love
and an atmosphere of radical hospitality. CD4AP was formed in 2003 with the
mission of improving the quality of life for persons on the South Side of
Columbus. Our vision is for a whole, healthy and engaged community where All
People are empowered to pursue their hopes, dreams and aspirations; where lives
are transformed by faith and trust, and personal fulfillment is experienced
through the abundance of God's love and grace.
About Nationwide
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio,
is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial
services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both
A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. An industry leader in driving
customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and
financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life
insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual
funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat
insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.
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About Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll
on U.S. News & WorldReport’s 2021-22 list of “Best
Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s
largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health
care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health,
behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in
pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child.
Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and
safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique
model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 13,000 that
provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and
diagnostic treatment during more than 1.6 million patient visits annually. As
home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of
Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of
pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at
Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of
Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is
available at NationwideChildrens.org.