VENICE, Ill. —Gov. JB Pritzker announced a $2.4 million grant to the city of Venice Thursday. The grant will fund the construction and startup of Venice Grocery, the only grocery store in city limits.

“I had consistently heard from the people of Venice… that the lack of affordable grocery options was really taking a toll on families,” Pritzker said. “When I signed the Illinois grocery initiative… the vision we had in mind was reducing costs, fighting insecurity and boosting the local economy, along with just lifting up everyday people.”

Residents say they travel outside the city to shop, with the nearest grocery store several miles away in Granite City. Chris Slusser, Madison County County Board Chairman says many nearby cities have several stores. 

“I live in what’s called Wood River. It is by no means a wealthy community. We have three grocery stores within one mile of my house, so I tend to take it for granted,” Slusser said. “But that hasn't been the case for quite some time here, folks. And that's why the Governor's Grocery Initiative program is important.”

Officials say Venice Grocery will employ 12 full-time employees. A timeline for the planned city-owned and operated store has not been announced. Seven other cities received part of the $10 million fund. 

"This $10 million investment will go directly toward construction and renovation of quality, affordable grocery options in neighborhoods across the state,” Pritzker said. “From Champaign to Marion to Venice, we're fighting food insecurity while investing directly into the lifeblood of our economy, supporting farmers, small businesses, and working families."

Pritzker says officials could consider incentivizing local farmers to sell food in the new store — a substitute for the recently ended Illinois Eats program which purchased food from Illinois farmers for local distribution. In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the cessation of the program and the federal Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) program. 

“As a pandemic-era program, LFPA will now be sunsetted, marking a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives,” a USDA spokesperson told Spectrum News in March. “USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact. The COVID era is over—USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.”

“We don't have the dollars at the local level, at the state level to replace the very massive federal dollars that are being taken away,” Pritzker said. “This is a program that's really important for me, but it's competing with a lot of other things that the federal government is taking. It will be difficult to restore…We have to balance the budget. That's our first priority.”