Lincoln Park’s Fair Food Access project has been chosen as a national finalist for a Facebook voting campaign called “Cause an Effect,” through State Farm Insurance. Ten clicks of your mouse could mean $25,000 for this project.  Voting ends at midnight tonight, May 17. Use your Facebook time for good — follow this direct link to vote.

For over 30 years, the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Duluth has gone without a grocery store, relying on gas stations and convenience stores to meet the food security needs of the community. There are no grocery stores within a one-mile radius of any part of the neighborhood and it is defined by the USDA as a “food desert.” The median household income is 45 percent below the state average, yet we pay exorbitant prices for food. In order to address the health and economic issues of the neighborhood, we must bring healthy, affordable food back into the neighborhood and into the houses of our citizens.

Lincoln Park residents spend $5.3 million on food each year — outside of their own neighborhood! With the help of $25,000, West End residents would be able to take ownership of their food access issue and organize a campaign to bring a grocer into the neighborhood — offering fresh, healthy, affordable foods to one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. The project will offer sustainable food access for over 6,000 people.

Want to know more about this project and the connect with folks working on it?  E-mail lisa @ healthyduluth.org.