1st free supermarket inside CA school opens doors in SF low-income community

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In San Francisco’s Portola neighborhood, a free grocery store is making sure students don’t go hungry anymore.

“Once we identify those families who are interested in accessing this resource they will be on a schedule. They will know when to come in it will be before school and after school,” said Tyson Fechter, Principal at MLK Jr. Middle School.

Based on their income, more than 70% of families at MLK Jr. Middle School qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school believes over 300 families could benefit from the supermarket.

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“I’m currently not working and truly this is a huge help for my family,” said parent Jessica Matos.

In a community where 39% of residents are low-income and living well below the poverty line, the school’s internal surveys pinpointed food insecurity as one of the biggest setbacks for students’ learning.

“The students that might leave class and are out in the hallways a lot of the times, they are looking for food. They bounce around from class to class. Mrs. Monterosa, ‘Do you have any milk? Do you have any cereal?’ They are looking for food and while they are doing that, they are missing out on class time,” said Fechter.

“A lot of our Bayview families are traditionally underserved in a lot of ways and are dealing with the shifting economics in the city,” said Jibraan Lee, Beacon Director YMCA of Greater SF.

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The school’s supermarket is the result of a partnership with the SFUSD, Amazon, and the nonprofit Goodr that has launched 12 other free grocery stores throughout the country.

“Over the next year, I hope that you have one less worry because you are going to know where you can go and get access to food and it is free, and it’s here to serve your family,” said Jasmine Crowe-Houston, founder and CEO of Goodr.

Although this is the first free supermarket inside a school in California for this group, it may not be the last.

Luz Pena: “There is a possibility that other schools in the city could have something like this?”

“We would love that to be true. We would have to see what happens next,” said Sally Kay with Amazon Public Policy & External Affairs and added, “We are always evaluating our partners needs and hope to see what we can do together in the future.”

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A group of parents left MLK Jr. Middle School feeling grateful with grocery bags filled with frozen food, fruits, vegetables and cleaning supplies.

“I never thought that this was something I could get at my son’s school. This is a huge help for me and for other families,” said parent Gabriela Hernandez.