The Family Dollar grocery store will reopen this Saturday after a fire closed the store for more than a year.
In September 2022, a two-alarm fire devastated the store on Church Street in Norfolk.
“We were heartbroken when a fire destroyed our Church Street Family Dollar,” Shariff Hassan, Zone Vice President for Family Dollar, said in a statement. “This location provides essential resources for members of the community, we’re proud to be re-opening and can’t wait to welcome our neighbors back this weekend.”
The closure magnified the “food desert” for residents of St. Paul’s neighborhoods. Communities in the area already had little access to fresh produce before the fire, and the store’s absence created more fhurdles for low-income residents. Getting food then required farther travel, so without a vehicle it became even more difficult to access.
In the meantime, staff for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore helped with emergency food distribution for residents, handing out boxes of shelf-stable food items, protein and produce. Each box weighed about 35 pounds, and leaders at the food bank said hundreds of households had stopped by to receive food. Grocery inflation also had an impact on distribution, adding about 10% more people to lines.
In response, Family Dollar recently donated $25,000 to the Foodbank and matched all contributions in the month of December.
On March 2, the store will host an opening party at its 720 Church Street location, including a DJ, a prize wheel, food and beverage samples and character appearances.
Eliza Noe, [email protected]
