In Baltimore, Libraries Serve as "Virtual Supermarkets" for Patrons Lacking Healthy Options
Federal stimulus funds support grocery deliveries for pick-up at libraries
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 03/18/2010
- Two neighborhoods without healthy groceries
- Free delivery the day after the order
- Six-month pilot
In Baltimore, a city with much poverty and several "food deserts" without access to healthy food, the Baltimore 
City Health Department has launched the Virtual Supermarket Project, letting people order groceries online at two libraries and pick them up the next day, with no delivery charge.
It's a sign that, in neighborhoods where the private market has not responded, the library is a civic institution that can adapt to multiple needs of the public.
The program has begun at the Washington Village and Orleans Street branches of the Enoch Pratt Free Library branches. "This program will make these neighborhoods stronger and healthier, allowing residents the same access to full-service, competitively priced grocery stores that much of the rest of the city enjoys," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
Delivery costs absorbed
While consumers typically pay delivery charges, in this case, the Virtual Supermarket submits one aggregate Internet order per session, subsidized by the Health Department. The Virtual Supermarket Project relies on a $60,000 grant, via federal stimulus funds, to support the project for six months, according to the Baltimore Sun.
One resident interviewed by the newspaper praised the program but pointed to drawbacks: limited hours and the lack of home delivery. According to the Sun, should the city get more funding, it could expand the program to other civic facilities such as community centers and senior centers.
Beyond the partnership between the library and the Health Department, Santoni’s Supermarket serves as the primary provider of supermarket items, while the Center for Design Practice at the Maryland Institute College of Art helped with marketing/branding the project.
