ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) — Local grocery stores are getting support from a more than $26 million Illinois grant.
While most of the funds will support opening new stores in food deserts, existing independent grocers—including The Green Store in Rock Island— could get critical support for facility upgrades.
“How many Hy-Vees do we have? How many Walmart’s do we have? And then how many Green Stores do we have?” owner Demetrius Johnson said. “There’s only one of us.”
For Johnson, the funding presents an opportunity to modernize and expand.
“So with the renovations, we probably want to tear down some of those walls, open the Green Store up so we can get more product down here,” he said. “More curb repair—we got some steps and stuff that we want to have worked on. So there’s a lot of things that this grant can benefit us.”
Advocates said the impact extends well beyond store shelves and infrastructure.
Thurgood Brooks, spokesperson for the MLK West End Revitalization Program, said investing in neighborhood staples serves as a long-term catalyst for community pride.
“If we can continue to provide resources and the needs that we have in the community, I firmly believe that kindergartners now will feel better about themselves and where they live, 10, 15, 20 years from now and in the present,” Brooks said. “Because they will be able to see things happening in their community, which only creates a different imagination for themselves and different beliefs on where they can go.”
State leaders hope the initiative will not only establish fresh food access where it is needed most, but also help established local businesses like The Green Store continue to thrive.
Copyright 2026 KWQC. All rights reserved.
