KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — Grocery stores on the North side of Killeen aren't available for residents in that area. Three Killeen residents share their stories about the impact on local residents.
- North side Killeen residents have to drive 15-20 minutes to get to a grocery store.
- In 2019, North Killeen was listed as a food desert with the closure of H-E-B and IGA.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“If you're walking its an hour and a half, then you gotta bring your groceries back," said local resident Anjali Arthur.
Anjali Arthur, a resident of Killeen, emailed our neighborhood reporter, Chantale Belefanti, about the food insecurity on the North side of Killeen after seeing her story about food-insecure neighborhoods a few weeks ago.
She said not having a grocery store nearby makes it hard to live. But she said it wasn’t always this way.
“We had an IGA that was right in this plaza, right over here off of Rancier. They closed all of that down, so now people who live in this area, like retired people, older people who don’t have transportation, are unable to get food," said Arthur.
Arthur said the closest grocery store is about 15-20 minutes away by car. Leo Arnelis, a resident in Killeen. Leo pushes his elderly mother in a wheelchair to get food items.
“We’re just buying grocery stuff typically, cereal, other food items, that’s all," Leo said.
"We take different routes; we take the first route. We take the route off where the gas station is, then we go through the neighborhood, and it takes us 40 minutes.”
It’s another 40 minutes to get home. Leo said he purchased food, sausages, and crackers from the local Family Dollar.
Michael Thompson, the owner of Pull Up and Eat #2 said he sees the food insecurity in Killeen firsthand. With only food marts in town selling some fruits and veggies, but no meat…those in the area are relying on a hot meal.
“Our busy hours are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. because that’s when most people are getting off work and everything, and they don’t really have anywhere to go, but most of them come here," said Michael Thompson, the owner of Pull Up and Eat #2.
Thompson said getting to a grocery store can mean getting a ride share because transportation options are limited.
“Then the buses don’t come here anymore, so you know it’s just really everybody in a bad position if you're not in a position," Thompson said.
Arthur said back in 2019, she heard buzz about a Walmart coming to the area, but six years later the lot is empty. We reached out to Walmart, but our team hasn't heard back yet. She said this leaves residents to make trips to fast food restaurants, which just isn’t healthy.
“I have diabetes, so we need to eat…have proper nutrition, and that’s not happening in this area," Arthur said.
