With each customer she serves, Kinya Middleton knows she's making a difference in a community that needs it. She manages the Greater Good Grocery Store on Binghamton's north side, a neighborhood that's long been a food desert in one of the poorest areas of the city.

As a Black woman managing a supermarket in a predominately Black part of Binghamton, Buffalo's shooting hit far too close to home for Middleton.

"It was just a lot of similarities. This store is in a food desert, just like the store in Buffalo, so there were so many similarities. We were defiantly worried and we set up some new things to implement here at the store," said Middleton.

Middleton's job of serving customers is now forced to go far beyond the typical day-to-day operations. She and her crew are always keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, and doing everything they can to promote a safe and welcoming grocery store.

"When things like this happen, your innocence because you just come to work every day and just for customers to come, they just come to the grocery store. You don't think about those things, but now everything and everyone is suspicious unfortunately," said Middleton.

Greater Good offers low-priced options on most of its products, including a SNAP benefits matching program to better serve the community. For Middleton, making sure everyone in her store gets fed, and leaves with a smile, is her number one mission.

She says even in the wake of tragedy, people have been coming together like never before.

"I definitely think that it's definitely brought a different light to people. I think a lot of times you don't know what someone is going through, or how this may have affected someone, so I think a lot of people are using empathy and just putting themselves in that situation, because this could have happened anywhere. It could have really happened here," said Middleton.

Middleton said while it may have been tough to come back to work after such a traumatic event, it's the people she serves that motivates her each and every day. All profits from the Greater Good Grocery store are reinvested into the community.

The store is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.