Baltimore's Innovative Solution to Food Deserts

Score one for public libraries. Aside from being sources of information, great books, free internet access and hot librarians, two libraries in Baltimore are now referred to as "virtual supermarkets" under a new city program. The process is simple: library patrons can order their groceries online and have them delivered to the library the next day.

I'm not going to lie: my first thought after reading this article was "So what?" I mean, I know of places where you can get a box of organic groceries delivered to your front door. You want groceries delivered to you? Safeway.com! Join a CSA! And then I remembered that just because I know about these things doesn't mean that little old ladies living in communities in Baltimore where there are no grocery stores know about them. Furthermore, a box of produce, in all of its farm-grown, earth-smelling glory doesn't make a full dinner. Grains, starches, dairy products and even canned goods are far more nutritious for folks living in food deserts than whatever is offered at the local corner store.

More importantly, this is a true community-based effort to get people living in food deserts healthy food. Librarians, health department staff and volunteers assist people who need help with their online ordering, thus bridging the digital divide. And the groceries aren't coming from Safeway—they're coming from Santoni's, a longtime Baltimore based grocer. It also encourages visits to the library, which is never a bad thing, and causes community members to see and get to know each other. Money for the program comes from a grant from the federal stimulus package. (Gobama!)

Baltimore's mayor sees the project as a temporary solution, hoping that investment and development in the areas served will eventually bring in actual, not virtual, grocery stores. But in the meantime, it's an innovative project that serves an underprivileged group well—after just one month in the works, the program has over two dozen members, and other communities are calling to see how they can replicate it in their own libraries.

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