One Year of the LEAP Community Store

Can you believe, it’s been one year since we opened the LEAP Community Store?? A lot has changed in that time. We have integrated the store into our daily operations, dipped our toes into the world of running a brick and mortar store, and learned so much. As we look back on the year, we want to celebrate what this store means to us and our community. . . . It's a place for that quick stop and a friendly chat, to get the food you need without the fuss of a big shop, where you can trust the source and know your dollars are being spent to support local small farmers and businesses.In the next year of the store’s life, we hope to further refine and integrate the store into our community. We need your help to achieve this goal! Here’s how:

1. If you haven’t made it to the store yet, come visit and say hi (store hours: Wednesday–Friday, 12–7pm)!
2. Tell a friend about the store and how it provides another option to get local food and support farmers, even when you can’t make it to the farmers market.
3. Provide feedback so we know what’s working and what needs work by filling out a brief survey the next time you visit the store.

This month, we’re taking a minute to share with you why the store matters to us, what it has to offer, and how the store supports our collective community wellbeing.

Prioritizing Quality Local Food

LOCAL FOOD is at the center of everything we do. We’re all about helping more people get their hands on local food, finding more ways for farmers to grow and sell local food, and bringing communities together to share and enjoy local food. The LEAP Community Store brings local food to our community in the form of a convenient one-stop-shop. We prioritize food that is grown or produced locally or regionally. We work with farmers and mission-aligned food hubs to source a variety of quality foods our customers rely on. What will you find in the store?

• Fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables,
• Ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat prepared foods, such as soups and salads,
• Frozen meats and pre-cut vegetables,
• Pantry favorites like jams, pickles, and coffee,
• Bulk beans, grains, and flour, as well as fresh bread,
• Rotating seasonal and specialty items, like fruit jerky and pies,
• Other staples needed to prepare a full meal, including salt, pepper, condiments, aluminum foil, and so on.

Making Local Food Convenient

Prioritizing local food can sometimes feel like a luxury. We’ve all been there—life is busy, and sometimes making it to the weekly farmers market or remembering to get everything in one shop can feel impossible. When we created the LEAP Community Store, we listened to community members and we thought about what people really need to make it easier to buy local food. Ease of access to local food can mean different things, and it was our goal to address them all.

• Location: The Store is in the West End neighborhood, also home to LEAP’s West End Farmers Market on Tuesdays, in a central location with otherwise limited availability of fresh food. Nestled between Memorial Bridge and Downtown Roanoke, the store is within one mile of Hurt Park, Melrose Park, Mountain View, Old Southwest, and Gainsboro neighborhoods.
• Time: The store is open 3 days a week with afternoon and evening hours, giving shoppers 21 more hours of fresh food access each week.
• Options: Not everyone has time, ability, or equipment to be able to prepare fresh meals made with local ingredients. We strive to ensure there are a variety of local pre-made and ready-to-eat or heat meals, as well as plenty of fresh, pantry, bulk, and baked items available.
• Comfort: Farmers markets can feel intimidating or overstimulating for some. The store offers another style of shopping—a relaxed and cozy setting where shoppers have another way to buy the same quality ingredients and support local producers.
• Payment: We work to make buying local food an option for everyone, regardless of their means. Like all of LEAP’s outlets, we offer discounts for customers with SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid, as well as a variety of payment options, including LEAP Market Bucks, market tokens, and SNAP/EBT.

Supporting the Local Economy

There are many reasons why people prioritize buying local food—it tastes better, it’s healthier, it travels less, it’s better for the environment. . . . One of the best reasons, a win-win for all, is that it helps boost our local economy, keeping farmers, producers, and distributors of local food in business and thriving. Opening the store gives us another meaningful way to help local business owners (farmers & food producers) earn income and thrive. Shopping in the store and other LEAP outlets directly supports the farmers and producers with whom we work.

Building Community Spaces

It’s clear that our work helps people buy and sell fresh, local food. But there’s something more underlying our work that is less tangible, the feeling that you get when you experience LEAP spaces. Maybe it’s the feeling of being seen and the sense of belonging when a farmer or LEAP staff member recognizes you or knows your name. Or it’s a feeling of connection when you have a conversation with someone about something that is important to you. Maybe it’s the comfort that comes with the knowledge of where your food comes from and the care that went into bringing it to your table. Or maybe it’s being new to town, new to seasonal cooking, or new to SNAP or Medicaid and having a place where you can get information and talk to friendly people.

Whatever your reason, we all need community, we all need places to feel safe, supported, cared for, where we can ask questions, share stories, and just be ourselves. The LEAP Community Store is a place to shop for what you need in a setting that offers that sense of community.

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To learn more about the LEAP Community Store and our 1-year Birthday celebration check out these stories from WSLS and the Roanoker Magazine.