BUFFALO, N.Y. — A petition is now circulating to address the food desert on the East Side of Buffalo.
The SS Columba-Brigid Church community is calling on Wegmans to begin looking into opening a store in the Towne Gardens Plaza on Jefferson Avenue.
"Opening a Wegmans at that location would serve two main purposes," the petition said. "First, it would address the lack of a full service supermarket in that part of Buffalo. We support grass roots efforts by neighborhood groups and cooperatives to make healthier food available throughout the East Side of Buffalo, but only a full scale supermarket can fully meet the needs of the residents."
The parish’s council says while grassroots groups are more than appreciated, it believes only a full-scale supermarket can meet the needs of the community.
And with the Tops now closed for an undetermined amount of time, those needs are only exacerbated.
The council also said a Wegmans would bring more diversity into Buffalo’s east side and the location would be more likely to see shoppers of different backgrounds.
"A Wegmans in Towne Gardens Plaza would lessen the effect of segregation in Buffalo," the petition continued. "Buffalo's highly segregated East Side sorely lacks venues where people of different races come together and mix easily. A Wegmans in Towne Gardens, would be within a one-mile radius of a diversity of neighborhoods. It would strengthen the city's social fabric by providing a place for people of all backgrounds to shop and socialize."