Introduction

Hello all. My name is Angel Thompson, and I am from the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. DC is the home of many museums, several universities, and of course, President Barack Obama. Unfortunately, DC is also the home of many food desserts.

Washington, DC is divided into four quadrants; Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest.

Food Desert- noun. A Subdivision of a state in a urban setting with little or no access to a grocery store.

I would like the main focus of my blog to discuss topics surrounding Food Deserts within Washington, DC. However, a few blog may address Food Deserts in general.


Over the summer I volunteered at Arcadia, whose mission is “…dedicated to creating a more equitable and sustainable local food system in the Washington, DC area (http://arcadiafood.org/)” Growing up in the Southeast Quadrant of Washington, DC I was unaware of the term ‘food desert’. As a child, I did not realize that my parents traveled a further distance to supply groceries for our household because we did not have a Grocery Store in our neighborhood. However, within my neighborhood you can find 2 McDonalds, 3 gas stations, smaller “ironic grocery stores”, and at least 7 liquor stores. “Ironic Grocery Stores” are stores similar to 7- 11, stores the sell candy, pastries, soda……. My neighborhood is home to several elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. I now know that I am not the only person stranded within a food desert. Food deserts can be found throughout the United States of America.