South L.A. residents are growing vegetables in their backyards. They are converting their corner stores into healthy groceries. They are not waiting anymore for healthy options to come to them.
Click play for the stories of a South L.A. vegan and a corner store transformer:
Arriving at a recent community development meeting in a recreation center in South L.A., Agyei Graham peeked at the breakfast spread of bagels, yogurt and coffee, quietly found a standing room spot in a corner, pulled a red apple from the back pocket of his jeans and bit into it.
The 21-year-old has been a vegan for five months, which means he couldn’t have the yogurt. He could eat the bagels, but he’d have to forgo cream cheese. And he could only have coffee if he wanted it black.
He came prepared with an apple because he didn’t expect a small community meeting to offer vegan options. But he isn’t always prepared with contingency plans. There are days when Graham, who works as a locker room attendant at a swimming stadium, doesn’t have time to pack a meal. There are days when he comes home to an empty fridge because he didn’t find time to go to his favorite grocery store, Sprouts, which is six miles away in Culver City. [Read more…]
