250 of produce left the doors of the African Heritage Food Co-Op on Wednesday morning.


What You Need To Know

  • African Heritage Food Co-Op was established in 2016 to serve Buffalo's East Side
  • Within the last month and a half, they have provided 5,000 bags of produce
  • There are many ways for the public to get involved with the co-op

"They have celery, peaches, plums, potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and a melody of other things," Co-op General Manager Alexander Wright says.

He says delivering all of those bags across the area would take eight hours of driving, adding that, within the last month and a half, they have provided 5,000 bags of produce.

It's a small part of addressing a bigger issue.

"When you look at Buffalo and a lot of the grocery stores, especially in the 1950s and 60s, they just ran out of the inner City of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Highland Avenue, where we are [in Niagara Falls] is a food desert."

The co-op was established in 2016 to serve Buffalo's East Side. Wright and his team have been busy this year between deliveries, getting their garden on Edison Street in Buffalo ready for the summer and recently celebrating the one year anniversary at their location in Niagara Falls back in February.

But since then they have run into a problem. They are having issues with their refrigerator.

"So we have to repair it, but we may need an entirely new unit," he says. "Repairing the unit is going to be $2,200 and if we get a new unit, it’s going to be between $5,000 and $10,000. If anybody out there does any refrigeration repair that would be willing to come in and do some in-kind stuff or point us in the right direction, that would be great."

He says any help is appreciated and there are more ways to get involved with the co-op.

"We do community bags. So, if you buy a bag or box online, we deliver it," he adds. "But you can also donate $15 or $30 to your community member and make sure they can get a bag of healthy food."

The support allows them to continue their mission of providing access to fresh produce.

"It's one thing to deal with food insecurity," he states. "It's another thing for people who live in the neighborhood to be in control of helping food insecurity."

People can also donate. Head over to their website or Facebook page for more information.