Bailey Loosemore

Could the University of Louisville develop a research grocery store where students test business practices while residents have a place to shop?

About two years ago today, the Kroger Co. announced its decision to close the only full-service grocery store in downtown Louisville. Overnight, thousands of Louisvillians —many of them struggling with limited resources — were left without a place nearby to purchase basic necessities.

The resurgence in the Louisville business community’s interest in socially responsible companies is evident in the popularity of Canopy, a new initiative to foster businesses that do good as an integral part of their overall mission.

Since 2016, more than a dozen grocery stores have closed citywide, often abandoning neighborhoods that already had some of the worst options for fresh food.

The Courier Journal has received support from the University of Southern California's Center for Health Journalism to embark on a project about food insecurity in Louisville, with the goal of presenting solutions that fit our community....

The Courier Journal has received support from the University of Southern California's Center for Health Journalism to embark on a project about food insecurity in Louisville, with the goal of presenting solutions that fit our community.

Residents of Shelby Park have long bemoaned their lack of options for healthy and affordable food, and those who shopped at the Save-A-Lot will likely have to travel a mile farther.

Over the past decade, study after study has shown that thousands of people who live within certain areas of Louisville don't have adequate access to food.

The Courier Journal has received support from the University of Southern California's Center for Health Journalism to embark on a project about food insecurity in Louisville, with the goal of presenting solutions that fit our community.