INDIANAPOLIS — The Dollar General at 38th Street and College Avenue in Indianapolis is in its final days. It's set to close at the end of the year and in this neighborhood, that's a big deal.
"I come to this store at least three times a week," said north side resident, Brace. "I know some people are literally going to try and move around to get closer to food sources."
He's been in the area about 12 years and has seen his neighborhood offer fewer and fewer places to shop for food.
"We used to actually have an actual grocery store on 46th and College. That one closed first, so now we have to rely on the little stores to make ends meet, to get something," he said. "Now everything is completely changing. There's no food around."
"Anytime we see a food resource close its doors, we are definitely impacted by that," said Milele Kennedy, director of the Division of Community Nutrition & Food Policy with the City of Indianapolis.
She said over time, this Dollar General became vital to the area.
"This community has definitely been impacted by the closing of grocery stores nearby and an influx of other stores coming in, like this Dollar General, and becoming a food source," said Kennedy.
She doesn't consider the area a "food desert," since there are ways, like public transportation, for people to get to many grocery stores around the city.
"I do think this is a low food access area, but the resources that are in the area are quality resources," said Kennedy. "It doesn't have to be just going to a Dollar General. You do have ways of access to larger, healthier institutions."
"You'd be surprised, even in 2022, there's still people that do not have cars," said Brace. "The proximity is a really, really important thing."