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By Wayne Parry

The Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. 鈥� In this seaside resort, where $5 billion worth of in-person and online gambling takes place each year, there still is not a supermarket.

People who live in must either drive off the island to a mainland store, take public transportation 鈥� at a cost that eats away at the amount left for food 鈥� or shop in pricey, poorly stocked corner stores in their own city.

A much-touted, heavily subsidized plan to build what would be the city鈥檚 first supermarket in nearly 20 years fell apart earlier this year. Now, the state and a health care nonprofit are sending a converted school bus laden with fresh food available for purchase into the city as a temporary solution.

Virtua Health brought a modified transit bus to a poor neighborhood in Atlantic City on Dec. 8 as part of its 鈥淓at Well鈥� program, which is funded by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The program鈥檚 aim is to bring high quality food and fresh produce to depressed areas that lack meaningful access to healthy options. Atlantic City is second on the list of 50 New Jersey communities designated as food deserts.

Delorese Butley-Whaley, 62, was delighted to board the bus to buy a half gallon of milk and a loaf of bread for a total of $3.

She usually strains her bad knees to walk 30 to 45 minutes to a local corner food store, or takes the bus there in bad weather. Sometimes she ventures to a full-fledged supermarket on the mainland in Absecon 鈥� but the $10 cab ride in each direction quickly eats into her food budget.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a real supermarket here,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is something we all need. I love this. It鈥檚 really convenient. I was able to get everything I needed for the rest of the week right here.鈥�

The previous week, on her first trip to the bus, she bought salmon.

鈥淪almon!鈥� she said. 鈥淚magine that!鈥�

April Schetler, who runs the program for Virtua Health, said it is designed to fill part of the void in communities without a real supermarket like Atlantic City and Camden. All its food is sold at 30 percent to 50 percent less than normal retail prices.

There is no income restriction on the program; anyone who shows up can shop, she said.

鈥淲e try to bake dignity into everything we do,鈥� Schetler said. 鈥淏y not asking for financial information, we鈥檙e providing a different experience.

鈥淲e come right to them, in their neighborhoods,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t can be a $25 cab ride just to get you and your groceries home.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 supposed to be this way

It wasn鈥檛 supposed to be this way in Atlantic City, where in November 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy and top elected officials ballyhooed during a ground-breaking ceremony for a new ShopRite supermarket that was to be built on vacant land not far from the casinos.

The state was willing to commit $19 million in public funds to see the project through to completion. But construction never started, and the project fell apart. The state said earlier this year it would seek new bids for another store.

A message seeking comment left with the developer, Village Super Market Inc., was not promptly returned.

The Virtua food bus is one of two similar efforts paid for by the state with $5.5 million in funding. AtlanticCare, another southern New Jersey hospital system, is adding a mobile grocery to its food pantry program that also will include health education classes, cooking classes and incentives to buy healthy foods.

鈥淧eople come here to have fun; they go to the casinos,鈥� said JoAnn Melton, 42, who also shops at a corner store she says is beset by loiterers and drunks from a nearby liquor store. 鈥淏ut what about those that actually live here? We鈥檙e just trying our best to live and raise a family.鈥�

The grocery bus 鈥渋s awesome,鈥� Melton said. She bought dishwasher detergent, bleach, coffee, lemons, bananas and bread, all for $16. She often pays $5 for two sad-looking bananas at the corner store, she said.

鈥淲e really need this,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is good for us.鈥�