General Discussion

That is distinct from my understanding of the OP. I think it is entirely focused on the food options available for low-income communities, including in urban and rural areas. I admit from the giddy-up that I'm not an expert on cities, and agree that there are almost certainly grocery stores in most -- even all! -- cities. But that does not equate to there being grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods. It would be as short-sighted to say that low-income citizens could always drive to where those higher-quality and -priced grocery stores are, as to say that everyone can use their drivers licenses as voter ID. For drivers licenses are a tad more rarely found in low-income neighborborhoods, as are automobiles.

I won't debate if dollar stores were intended to sell groceries or not. Certainly, things change. In my youth, most communities had gas stations and Mom-n-Pops stores with some groceries and things like batteries and penny candy. In the 1970s, these were largely extinct. In the 1980s, Red Barrel stores became common, offering gas, groceries, pizza, subs, beer, smokes, cat and dog food, etc. Local towns had grocery stores, of course, but for someone needing gas and one or two items, these new stores were handy.

In the 1990s, Wal-Marts started popping up. One could be found within twenty miles of where ever one was. During the George W. Bush years, the middle economic class would increasingly do their grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. The majority of the grocerie stores in local towns went out of business. This increased the pace of dollar stores in the villages and towns here in upstate New York. I am unaware of any that do not sell groceries, as well as batteries, beer, smokes, pet foods, etc. Thus, whatever the original intent may have been, the reality is that low-income folks in rural communities -- who do not have the option of frequent twenty mile drives to the nearest Wal-Mart -- absolutely use dollar stores for a significant amount of their grocery shopping.

There is one dollar store in the three-county area I inhabit that does offer a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, I am told. But that serves one very small community. Most sell the types of things that do not provide for all around healthy diets. Now, caring about the needs of low-income populations has largely gone out of style since the 1960s. We are in a colder, less-caring social environment. One can debate if LBJ's Great Society programs assisted people in escaping poverty, or if they created huge, top-heavy bureaucracies that self-perpetuated self-growth. That is a valid topic for discussion.

It connects, of course, with other important issues. Why don't children from low-income families tend to have more problems in schools? Providing free breakfasts and lunches is important. The school district that I served on the BOE was doing so during the summer months, until covid. The virus caused internet learning, denying this option even during the school year. Thus, even good programs are not perfect. There are no easy answers.

I grew up poor. My children think it's a giggle that I refuse to eat pancakes, something that made for breakfast, lunch, and supper too frequently when we lived in town. Moving rurally allowed us to garden, raise a couple cows, and harvest "wild" foods, such as apples, strawberries, and blu- and blackberries. A healthy diet changes children's lives. There can be the option of "community gardens" in towns and cities. Not perfect, of course, but with real potential.

Maybe I am a product of the era I lived through. Feeding the poor matters to me. I hope it comes back into style.