McClinton applauds $100K state agriculture grant for The Community Grocer
State House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware, is applauding a $100,000 grant recently awarded to The Community Grocer by the state Department of Agriculture.
Rep. Joanna E. McClinton May 21, 2025
PHILADELPHIA, May 21 – State House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware, is applauding a $100,000 grant recently awarded to The Community Grocer by the state Department of Agriculture.
“The Community Grocer is boosting health and wellness in Cobbs Creek, as well as boosting our neighbors’ spirits and our local economy,” McClinton said. “While communities across Pennsylvania contend with food deserts, The Community Grocer aims to help meet demand for nutritious, affordable, fresh food using an innovative and thoughtful community-focused approach to grocery shopping and preparation.”
McClinton said that The Community Grocer is revitalizing an abandoned space in her district, where the market will offer locally sourced meal kits, fresh ingredients, and staple items, and where every item is SNAP eligible. By partnering with a nearby teaching kitchen, customers will be able to purchase staple products and meal kits at TCG and convert them into prepared meals at no extra cost. The Philadelphia-based nonprofit also provides paid job training for young people.
“The Community Grocer is transforming our community and making healthy food more accessible and equitable. I’m proud that this state funding will help TCG strengthen its operation, while supporting Pennsylvania’s renowned agriculture industry,” McClinton added.
“Receiving $100,000 from the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative is a transformative moment for The Community Grocer as we work to ensure nutrition access for all,” TCG President Eli Moraru commented. “With this critical support, we are now poised to open our first location in the coming months and welcome our community into a new era of accessible, dignified nutrition.”
The funding is being awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s PA Fresh Food Financing Initiative. The program aims to bolster local food systems in low income- and moderate-income communities, while increasing market opportunities for farmers in the state.
The program provides funding to projects that establish, construct, rehabilitate, or expand retail food establishments, such as grocery stores and farmer’s markets, and prioritize communities designated as food deserts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.