TikTok Star Opens Grocery Store in Louisiana Town with Food Desert

It's called the "Good Guy's Grocery Store", and it's helping to bring fresh produce and other grocery store items to the town of Jeanerette which has been in a food desert since Big Mac's Grocery burned to the ground two years ago according to a report in the Acadiana Advocate.

What Is a Food Desert?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a food desert is simply defined as an area where people do not have access or limited access to affordable food with healthy options.

U.S.D.A. officials say they estimated there are more than 6,500 food deserts in our country. Closer to home in Louisiana, an Axios report outlines how troublesome it can be for people in many areas in our state to have access to food.

BatonRouge Proud outlines that northern Baton Rouge has a very severe issue because it is a food desert. To get access to fresh food, you have to travel for miles.

In Louisiana, many people don't have access to vehicles, and paying for transportation to have access to food can be very costly.

Lafayette's Northside has been struggling with a lack of access to food as several stores have closed in that area over the years. The problem exists for all of us in Acadiana and the state.

Who Is Javashia Guy?

Javashia is a social media influencer who has a quarter of a million followers. Her fans follow her cooking-themed videos. The grocery store owner says her husband is the one who came up with the idea of opening the store.

She says they were both deeply concerned about how many people might be going without food because they don't have vehicles, their children have moved away, and they don't have access to the things they need.

Javashia says with her cooking-themed videos being so popular, it becomes very time-consuming without access to the ingredients she needs for her videos. She says her husband felt it was time to change the food desert situation in Jeanerette by getting training and opening up a grocery store and that's exactly what they have done.

Javashia Guy's husband, Jeremy Guy told the Acadiana Advocate,

It's a lot of money, a lot of investment but this is bigger than me, it's for our community. I want to be able to give something for our next generation to have.

He says the scope of this project is huge because it's also about inspiring other people in their area to jump into being entrepreneurs. He adds they are also focusing on helping local vendors by buying their products, and that money stays in their community to help generate more taxes.

Javashia adds another way they plan to help the community is by having store credit accounts. She says when she was younger this was very common in most stores, allowing you to get the things you need, but pay at a later time.

Good Guy's Grocery Store will be open Wednesday through Sunday, and you can find them at 1720 Martin Luther King Drive in Jeanerette.

Where Can I Find Food Pantries in Acadiana?

Second Harvest Food Bank of Acadiana is located at 215 East Pinhook in Lafayette.

FoodNet Food Bank of Lafayette is located at 403 Ambassador Caffery in Scott.

Food-banks.org has a list of Acadiana area agencies that offer help.