LANSING –State Representative Gabe Leland (D-Detroit), Chair of the House Urban Policy Committee is inviting local residents to an official committee meeting to discuss urban grocery stores and the access to fresh, affordable foods for all Detroiters. The meeting is scheduled for June 19, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the East Lake Baptist Church, 12400 East Jefferson in Detroit. The meeting is open to the public.
"This is about ensuring all families have access to healthy, affordable food," said Leland. "In a country as prosperous as ours, it is inexcusable that urban populations face situations which prevent them from buying healthy food for their children. We have to look at ways of opening avenues so everyone can have access to quality, affordable food."
Joining Leland and the House Urban Policy Committee will be representatives of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union and the Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (M.O.S.E.S) Supermarket Taskforce. The UFCW has 1.3 million members who work in a range of industries including retail food, meatpacking and poultry, food processing and manufacturing, and retail stores. The Taskforce is a community advocacy group aimed at developing a community-based grocery store in Detroit designed to employ local residents, help redevelop the city and provide a healthy, affordable food source for the local community.
For more information on urban grocery stores and the M.O.S.E.S. Supermarket Taskforce, visit http://www.ufcwcommunity.org/.
Residents can also contact Leland's office toll-free at (866) 525-4223 or by visiting his Web site at http://010.housedems.com/.