Worcester City Councilor Wants City Support for Affordable Grocery Solutions for Residents

A Worcester City Councilor is petitioning the city's leadership to consider a plan to bring affordable grocery solutions to the city.

Jenny Pacillo, Worcester City Councilor for District 1, filed an order during the week of July 14 requesting the city manager to detail “the feasibility of creating a municipally owned grocery store.” The concept for Pacillo's proposal stems from similar inititatives in cities like Chicago and other communities in the Midwest.

During the Worcester City Council meeting July 15, however, Pacillo asked Worcester's city manager to work with “community partners, state, and federal delegation to explore feasibility of creative grocery store solutions to expand access to affordable groceries.” 

According to a Boston.com report, Pacillo described the management structure for the idea as “a public-private partnership, for-profit, (or a) nonprofit-for profit hybrid, a cooperative model.”

Pacillo cited reports of a 32% increase in households seeking help from the Worcester County Food Bank between 2023 and 2024 as an indication of the problem facing residents. The poverty rate in Worcester is nearly 20%, according to U.S. Census data. That's double the percentage for the state and country.

“This is not government overreach. It's a response to market failure. This is not about replacing the private sector. It's about collaboration,” Pacillo said in comments during the meeting. She further observed that the closures of the Stop & Shop and Price Chopper on Cambridge Street have created grocery store deserts for residents.

Food pantries, like Friendly House, have also been concentrating on food insecurity concerns on a day-to-day basis. “Food is a big problem here in Worcester,” said Josefina Velez of Friendly House in a statement to NBC10 News Boston. “You go with $100, and you just bring out no more than two bags.”