Where the Northside Food Co-Op project stands after funding cuts

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Questions continue to swirl surrounding the future of the Northside Food Co-Op project in Wilmington. 

The project was started in response to a so-called “food desert” in the northside of downtown, where advocates say there’s little access to food—especially fresh meat and produce.  

The county put $2.5 million dollars behind the project In February 2024, while the New Hanover Community Endowment awarded an additional a $6.7 million dollar grant.

Though the project was seemingly put on hold when both the endowment and the county pulled that funding. That came after the city of Wilmington sold one of its surplus properties to a private developer who promised to build a major grocery store on land once eyed for the co-op.  

“We’re not stopping. This is 100% still a forward-moving project,” Project Manager Cierra Washington said. 

Washington says despite recent hurdles, they’re still committed to making the co-op a reality. 

“Our community has spoken time and time again about their need for access to food. And so we are stepping up to that call, and we making sure that we are staying in community with the folks who asked us to be here,” she said. 

Washington adds if a big box store does come to downtown, the co-op may not be able to pull in enough customers to be economically sustainable.  

“Even if every single person in the Northside shopped at the Northside Food Co-op, it wouldn’t be enough people to sustain the store,” she explained. “So, it was important for folks outside of that Northside community to shop at the store.”  

When asked why downtown would benefit from a co-op over a traditional grocery store, Washington says co-ops better reflect the community and its needs when compared to corporate grocers.  

“I think it’s worth the extra time to make sure that this is something of value, and something of quality for the community,” she said. 

In a statement, the New Hanover Community Endowment did not say why it chose to pull funding for the project but did say it will continue to work with the project’s parent organization—Growing Resilience—and will reassess how to deploy grant funding to address food insecurity.