Creating access to healthy food at The After Market in Nevada
Improving access to healthy food in Nevada
When Pastor DeWayne McCoy was growing up, he vividly remembers his mother and grandmother standing in line for food assistance to help feed their family of eight kids.
He said he can remember feeling embarrassed, of not wanting others to know they needed help.
“Children would be out there trying to hide their face from other kids because nobody wants to be seen as being poor,” he said.
Little did he know then, that years later, that feeling and life experience would fuel his purpose and mission to create a better experience for those in need.
DeWayne returned to the area he had lived in for 14 years after realizing the only grocery store his community depended on was gone. He knew he needed to create an alternative. But after seeing people stand outside in the sweltering heat for hours to access a food bank, he knew it had to be different.
“I witnessed how people would suffer in the 112-, 115-degree heat, or even stand outside for four hours in the cold, hoping to get something to sustain their family. I wanted to develop something that took all of that away,” DeWayne said.
A new way forward
Two years ago, DeWayne created The After Market, a hybrid grocery store that helps to fill that gap — 80% is retail-based and 20% operates as a free food pantry. The profits from the retail side help to fund the pantry. Health Plan of Nevada Medicaid invested $25,000 to support their work.
“UnitedHealthcare actually was here before the building was here,” DeWayne said. “Having a partner like UnitedHealthcare is vital. It's vital not only for the sustainability of what we are doing, but for the sustainability of the community.”
At The After Market, the shopping experience is the same for everyone, eliminating the stigma often associated with needing support. Everyone walks in the same door and leaves with the same bags.
“We’ve returned dignity to service because when people come in here, this isn’t just a food pantry or a church line where you’re just handing out different items,” DeWayne said. “The shame of having to need assistance is out of the window because when our clients shop on the retail side, they're actually paying it forward for service that they may need or may not need — but they're helping their neighbors as well as themselves whenever the time comes.”
In Nevada, food insecurity impacts 12% of households.1 Nevada is also one of the top three states in the country with the highest food costs for families every year.2 Both of these factors can impact access to healthy food, which can also contribute to an increased risk of chronic conditions for both adults and children.1
“Coming in here is about the food, but it’s also about the community,” said Joe Fu, CEO of Health Plan of Nevada Medicaid. “It’s about passionate, committed individuals who are getting together to solve tough challenges, and we’re just really, really proud to be a small part of that.”
An ‘oasis in a food desert’
The After Market is one of the only options for families in northeast Las Vegas to access fresh food.
For Tobias Byrum, The After Market was the main reason he moved into the community — saying it’s “an oasis in a food desert.” Not only does the food help sustain him but the people make him feel like family.
“The employees here, they’re like the friendliest people I’ve ever met. They know me by name,” he said. “Just because you're low income, doesn't mean you're a low-quality person. And I've never been treated like a low-quality person in here. So it's not just about giving people access to good food, it's treating people like you would want to be treated, regardless of your income level, regardless of where you live.”
DeWayne said he hopes to see similar hybrid grocery stores pop up in food deserts across the country — bringing back dignity to those in tough circumstances and providing hope to someday end hunger.
“I believe this model has the potential to end food insecurity, not just be a band aid for food insecurity, but stitches,” he said. “Our purpose is to treat people with dignity. This is how somebody helped me and this is how I can help somebody else.”
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