ROANOKE, Va. – The LEAP Community Store is celebrating its first birthday with a community open house today, Wednesday, July 23. The event invites everyone to explore the store’s offerings, enjoy a buffet of samples, and indulge in birthday cake and ice cream from Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.
The celebration runs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and includes a store-wide 10% discount along with the launch of a new soup and salad punch card loyalty program.
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Opened in 2024 in Roanoke’s West End neighborhood, the LEAP Community Store was created to improve access to fresh, local food in an area with limited options. The store operates Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 7 p.m. at 1027 Patterson Ave. SW.
Shoppers can find a wide variety of quality foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared meals like soups and salads, frozen meats and vegetables, pantry staples such as jams and coffee, bulk grains and beans, fresh bread and seasonal items. All products come from local and regional farmers and food producers.
LEAP, a local nonprofit organization founded in 2009, focuses on building equitable food and farming systems that prioritize health and abundance. The Community Store complements LEAP’s other programs such as farmers markets, a mobile market, a food hub, community gardens and food access initiatives.
The store also offers discounts for SNAP, WIC and Medicaid participants, multiple payment options and convenient hours and location to make local food shopping accessible.
Cam Terry of Garden Variety Harvests, a local farmer who supplies the store, said, “Sales outlets that LEAP operates give us the chance to put our products in front of our local eaters in a retail setting that might be more convenient for them to shop than our weekend farmers market booth.”
The LEAP Community Store’s birthday party is free and open to the public. Staff will be on hand to welcome guests, answer questions and share information about LEAP’s mission and programs.
For more information, visit leapforlocalfood.org.