Georgia High School Opens First Free Grocery Store for Students Facing Hunger

The City of Stonecrest, Georgia, has partnered with the nonprofit Goodr to launch the first free grocery store for students in Dekalb County, opening its doors at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School. The store, named “Lion’s Den Grocery,” was unveiled on the final day of Black History Month and aims to combat food insecurity among the school’s 1,400 students. Principal Michael Alexander emphasized the importance of the initiative, saying, “It was a need and we’re filling the need.” Many students at the school arrive daily eager to learn but face serious challenges accessing consistent meals.

The collaboration between Stonecrest and Goodr—founded by Jasmine Crowe, a social entrepreneur dedicated to ending hunger through food waste reduction—reflects a broader mission to provide accessible nourishment where it’s most urgently needed. Mayor Jazzmin Cobble highlighted the educational impact of the program, stating, “One thing we wanted to do to support our students was make sure the distractions in the classrooms are alleviated, one of which is hunger.”

Goodr and city officials consulted directly with students and families to stock the store with essential groceries including fresh meat, produce, canned goods, and frozen items. The Lion’s Den Grocery will initially support 25 to 50 families, with plans to expand in the future. This model follows a similar initiative Goodr previously launched in an Atlanta senior community, reinforcing its goal to “go where the need is.”

Students themselves are already recognizing the positive impact. Eleventh grader Alex Pandy shared how the store can relieve some of the pressures many of his peers face: “It’s actually a really sad thing to see…[Now] they don’t have to worry about that anymore. It’s not a distraction, like, hey, I don’t know what I’m gonna eat tonight, or where. This bridges that gap.”

By addressing hunger within the educational environment, the Lion’s Den Grocery represents a meaningful and sustainable step toward academic equity and community well-being.

Link: Because Of Them We Can