PINE BLUFF, Arkansas — Food insecurity is a problem in many counties across Arkansas.
To try and combat the issue, Governor Sanders announced grants to areas that are working to eliminate food deserts, like Jefferson County.
A food desert is defined as an area that doesn't have accessible fresh food, like fruits and vegetables. Pine Bluff's Ward 1 became a food desert nearly two years ago when a local grocery store closed.
"It was a grocery store that was there 20 plus years in a community, and right now, people are struggling," said LaTisha Brunson, the alderman for Ward 1 in Pine Bluff.
The governor announced that the grants from the Arkansas Minority Health Commission would help to address food insecurity in Jefferson, Pulaski, and Yale counties.
Jefferson County will use the $10,000 grant for community gardens and to conduct a food desert study.
"Investors who want to come to Pine Bluff and say, 'yes, I want to open up this grocery store', but here's some hard numbers behind what that looks like," Brunson described.
The alderman said she is still working to get a grocery store back in that area and has been talking to a black-owned chain from Oklahoma in hopes of convincing them to come to Pine Bluff.
In the meantime, the Arkansas Food Bank has been making sure the Pine Bluff community is not forgotten as there are several food pantries, including in Ward 1 to help make fresh food accessible.
"We've distributed 3.7 million pounds in Jefferson County alone last year and of that 1.5 million of that was fresh produce," said Sherri Jones, the Chief Programs Officer for the Arkansas Food Bank.