DAYTON, Ohio — As some families are getting ready for Christmas dinner, others are trying to find out how they’ll get their next meal. One nonprofit is trying to help with a multi-million-dollar plan. 

What You Need To Know

  • Homefull has been running a mobile grocery store in food deserts for the last two years 

  • The nonprofit is now planning to build a permanent grocery store with doctor's offices and affordable housing 

  • The project is expected to cost about $20 million for the grocery store and more than $50 million to build apartments behind it

Some shoppers takes a road trip just to get out of a part of Montgomery County considered a food desert, places with no grocery stores for miles.

Homefull set out to change that. The Dayton nonprofit started going to food deserts two years ago with grocery trucks people can shop on.

Soon, the mobile grocery store will become a multi-million-dollar grocery store and doctor’s offices that will be in west Dayton for good. 

“We are excited about what’s happening there nervous because we picked the worst time in the world to do this project, construction is very volatile, costs are rising,” said Homefull CEO Tina Patterson. 

Patterson says it’s going to take about $20 million to make the grocery store plans come to life, but she says there’s another part of the plan that’s going to cost another $50 million.

“We are hoping and anticipating building the affordable housing, which is workforce focused,” said Patterson.

So far she said grants and donations gave them enough to break ground on this land on Gettysburg Ave in the coming weeks, but they’re still looking for more to keep it here long term. 

“We believe we’re gonna see impacts in education for children, health outcomes that are gonna look tremendous, not to mention bringing 200 jobs to the community,” said Patterson.

She says they hope to have it all up and running by 2024. 

Once the permanent grocery store is finished, Patterson said they will still operate their mobile grocery store and deliver groceries to families in need. 

For more information or if you’d like to help Homefull reach its funding goal, click here.