Global Food opened yesterday at Briggs Chaney Marketplace, in the location of the old Safeway. Below are some photos and statements from community members, elected officials, and non-profits about this momentous occasion for East County.
Peter Myo Khin, a Colesville resident and advocate for East County, provided the following summary of the event and his first impressions of the store:
“The Global Food grocery store opened this morning in the Briggs Chaney Marketplace Center, in the location that Safeway occupied before it abandoned the neighborhood leaving a food desert at the immediate location of the center. The Community attendance at the opening ceremony was impressive filling most of the parking spaces at the center. The food store is an international food store with a sizable produce section offering myriad kinds of vegetables and fruits, a large meats and seafood section, special aisles for African, Latino, Asian, Caribbean, American, Euro and Middle Eastern foods. I was pleasantly surprised with the selection of offerings and pricing. If you haven’t visited the store, I would encourage you to do so, if nothing but to peruse it initially. The opening ceremony included short speeches by County Executive Ike Leggett, Councilmembers Tom Hucker and George Leventhal, representatives of Congressmen Sarbanes, Raskins and State Senator Zucker.
“Also, I also would recommend that you visit the Mankira Coffee Shop at the center. It serves Ethiopian coffee as well as various the types of coffee you’d find at Starbucks and also a variety of cheesecakes!”
Peter Myo Khin, ECCAB Board Member, via Nextdoor.com
As noted in Peter’s write-up, several elected officials attended the event. Below are comments from Councilmembers George Leventhal and Tom Hucker.
“What a beautiful day for a ribbon cutting!
“I was beyond excited to attend a ribbon cutting this morning for the new Global Food supermarket in Briggs Chaney. Global Food is taking over the space formerly occupied by Safeway in the Briggs Chaney Marketplace shopping center. The Briggs Chaney store represents Global Food’s second location in Montgomery County, the other being in Montgomery Village.
“The store’s selection reflects the diversity of cultures present in Montgomery County. You’ll find products from around the world at the supermarket such as Middle Eastern, European, Latin, Japanese, Korean, Indian/Pakistani, and American.
“In my remarks to the crowd, I talked about how important it is to retain and create jobs in the East County so there are more opportunities for residents to work close to home. Many of the employees of Global Food will come from the surrounding community, and they won’t be commuting via car. More than a quarter of households in Briggs Chaney don’t own a car, but the area doesn’t have nearly the same transit options that other areas of the county enjoy. We need more ribbon cuttings like today’s and more jobs and transportation options in the East County so residents in the Route 29 corridor aren’t forced to drive long distances to get to work.”
Councilmember George Leventhal, via Facebook
Councilmember Tom Hucker wrote the following statement to GrowingEastCounty:
“East County residents deserve affordable, high-quality, healthy food options like every other area. The opening of Global Food is the latest of many recent improvements coming to East County, such as the new Maydale Nature Center, the new Good Hope Rec Center, the Adventist Hospital, and the renovated White Oak Library.”
Councilmember Tom Hucker
Several non-profits, including Manna Food Center collaborated with East County Regional Services Center Director Jewru Bandeh to eliminate what many have referred to as “the only food desert in Montgomery County”. Global Food also collaborated with Worksource Montgomery to employ residents from the local neighborhood.
“Many congratulations to the political, business, and community leaders–especially Jewru Bandeh– who made sure that East County has a grocery store to offer quality food from many regions. I’m proud Manna Food Center, Montgomery County Food Council and Community Food Rescue are working to welcome Global Food in our efforts to #feedmorewasteless and increase international shopping options.”
Jackie DeCarlo, CEO of Manna Food Center, via facebook
The East County Regional Services Center and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) hosted information booths for people to learn about the proposed Route 29 Bus Rapid Transit project, MobileMed’s free and low-cost health services, assistance for immigrants, and Montgomery College’s East County Community Engagement Center.
Below are more photos of the grand opening and ribbon-cutting event, taken from the facebook posts of George Leventhal, Renée Katz, Peter Fosselman, and Eric Rasch.
What can you do to get involved?
- Support local businesses by shopping and dining at Briggs Chaney Marketplace.
- Follow Briggs Chaney Marketplace on Facebook.
- If you know a family that needs assistance putting food on the table, refer them to Manna Food (301-424-1130), which operates a food distribution site every Friday afternoon from 2-4 pm at the East County Regional Services Center (3300 Briggs Chaney Road).