Chester

Chester, Pa., used to be known for its shipbuilding, but manufacturing has now all but disappeared. Home to 35,000 people, Chester hasn't had a supermarket since the last one closed 12 years ago — until now.

Fare & Square, the first non-profit grocery store in the nation, opened two months ago.

With unemployment at 13 percent and a 36 percent poverty rate, the U.S. government has designated the community a food desert, defined as a low-income area lacking access to healthy food.

Bill Clark, who heads the non-profit hunger relief organization Philabundance, came up with the concept.

He says it was seven years in the making.

"We've used charitable and government dollars to actually build it all out so I actually don't have any real estate costs. I don't have a rent or a mortgage payment to make so that helps me keep my cost low as well."

Shoppers like Jennifer Kurz, 48, are ecstatic they no longer have to take several buses to get fresh produce, milk, and meats.

"Chester needs this, these babies need this. The elderly need this. They need to eat properly, they need to eat healthy," she said. "It’s quick, it’s close by, and you're not losing no money when you think about it."

While 60 percent of the shoppers receive food stamps, shoppers in need are also eligible to receive a 7 percent store credit every time they make a purchase.

The store provides desperately needed employment. More than 80 percent of its workers live in Chester. The store also provides access to social services.

"We're negotiating with some of the health providers for dental screening and prenatal screening," said Clark. "We have plans in the works to do nutritional education and cooking schools."

While the goal of the store is to bring fresh, healthy, affordable food to the community, many shoppers say there’s an additional upside.

"The most important thing is, it's safe,” says Lisa Hall, 47. "You don't have to worry about being robbed or anything, and you know they got plenty of security here."

Hall helps her goddaughter, who works two jobs, take care of her three children.

She brings the kids by a few times a day for a treat or a snack.

"All the other stores around the corner close at 4 o’clock and I'd say why you'd close at 4 o'clock and they'd say, 'Do you know what neighborhood you're in?'"

Chester’s crime rate is almost three times higher than the national average, and its schools consistently rank as some of the worst in the state.

Clark hopes that the store may be the first part of Chester’s renewal.

“A community of this size … without a supermarket says something about the decay of a community. Conversely, the arrival of a supermarket says something about their resurgence.”