FOR ONE DAY, THE FOOD DESERT DISAPPEARS
A Community Market Overlay in Corporate Partnership with Dollar General
Location: Your local Dollar General
Host: Community partners + local farmers & vendors
Purpose: Access, choice, and dignity—right where people already go
Why this matters
In rural Missouri, many families face:
Low income
No public transportation
Long distances to full grocery stores
This creates food deserts—not because people don’t care about good food, but because access is hard.
Everyone already goes to Dollar General.
So instead of asking people to travel farther, we bring food access to where they already are.
What happens during the pop-up
For a few hours, Dollar General becomes something more:
Fresh, prepared, and locally sourced food
Cooking and food demonstrations
Community donor baskets with foods not sold in the store
Ingredients from Missouri farmers and vendors
Simple preparation instructions to take home
No shelves are changed.
No store operations are disrupted.
Access changes.
What makes this different
This is not:
A food pantry
A charity handout
A permanent store change
This is:
A temporary full-service food access point
A logistics solution to a real rural problem
A way to eliminate a food desert for one day
It proves something important.
Food deserts are not inevitable — they are logistical.
Why Dollar General is part of this
Dollar General is often the most reliable retail location in rural towns.
That’s not a criticism—it’s a strength.
By hosting a Community Market Overlay:
The store remains exactly what it is
The community gains access to what’s missing
No long-term operational changes are required
For one day, access wins.
Who benefits
Families and neighbors gain fresh food access
Local farmers and vendors earn income
The community gathers around food and connection
The town demonstrates what’s possible when systems work together
The big idea
We may not be able to eliminate food deserts forever. But for one day, together we can make one disappear.
Same store. Different outcome.
Want to help?
Volunteer
Donate ingredients or baskets
Partner as a local vendor
Spread the word