In 2011, The Food Research and Action Center’s Hardship Report named Winston-Salem the hungriest city in the United States for families with children and statistics show that the inequality amongst Winston-Salem residents will only continue to rise. For example, an 18.6 ounce can of Cambell’s Chunky Chicken Noodle soup costs $3.39 in CVS, as compared to $1.98 in Walmart. Prescott, was leaving the store, after purchasing a handful of groceries, which were notably more expensive than options at traditional grocery stores.

Gordon described the lack of affordable downtown as inconvenient since none of his friends have cars, including friend Steven Prescott, who was talking with Gordon outside the CVS Pharmacy on West Fourth Street.

“Who wants to haul a month’s worth of groceries on a bus? When I would take the bus system to the grocery store, it seemed to take me 3 hours,” said Gordon, referring to the bus schedules. However, Gordon is still familiar with the difficulties of grocery shopping for downtown residents. Having recently served a prison sentence for ten years, Gordon now describes his home downtown as a place “where food is served,” alleviating limited food accessibility with the temporary solution of a homeless shelter. However, sitting on a bench outside Crystal Towers, listening to his hand-held radio in the 30 degree weather, Byrd was describing a transforming community that has now excluded him and his neighbors.įrank Gordon, 40, has called Winston-Salem “home” all his life however, his address has changed a number of times over the years. Describing downtown as “good-looking,” Byrd talked about the new wave of residents downtown and his surprise of seeing people eating outside on restaurant patios. “I’ll walk to Ronnie’s for the occasional soda, but downtown is getting too expensive and we have to go way out to find affordable food,” he said.īyrd, who has lived in Winston-Salem since he was six, has noticed a change in downtown demographics over the past 44 years. There, he purchases his bread, canned goods, and meats on the 14th of every month when he receives his food stamps. One of the largest of these is downtown.ĭelray Byrd, a resident of Crystal Towers, a public-housing high-rise on West Fifth Street, relies on his sister to drive him 1.6 miles to the closest grocery store, the Food Lion on New Walkertown Road. In Winston-Salem alone, there are 40 neighborhoods currently designated as food deserts. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service estimates that 23.5 million currently live in food deserts, defined as an urban area where residents have limited access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and affordable food. However, downtown’s cultured art scene and local culinary delights often mask another description of Winston-Salem: food desert. The article is reprinted here.ĭowntown Winston-Salem is often described in many ways: historic, artistic, and innovative. She recently wrote an article on food issues for “ Heard it Here” a website curated by journalism students at Wake Forest. Make your hotel stay exceptional at Marriott Winston-Salem located in Downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Blythe Riggan, a junior at Wake Forest, studies politics and international affairs with a focus in journalism and Latin American studies.

Maintain your routine in our hotel's reinvented fitness center featuring Fitness On Demand and stay connected with complimentary Wi-Fi and a full-service business center. Enjoy our grab-and-go breakfast option for your day out in Winston-Salem and our Fresh Bites in-room hotel dining. Our guests appreciate the all-new guest rooms featuring sleek décor, platform beds, flat-screen TVs and spa-like bathrooms. Couples, families and Marriott Bonvoy members enjoy downtown Winston-Salem's arts district, restaurants, museums, shopping, golf and universities. Business travelers love our hotel in Winston Salem, NC, with its convenient downtown location near the area’s top companies, 15,000 sq ft of flexible event space and our direct connection to the Benton Convention Center. Experience the downtown scene near Marriott Winston-Salem.Įxplore Winston-Salem from its most unique vantage point – the redesigned Winston-Salem Marriott in the Twin City Quarter.

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