North Omaha neighborhood loses grocery store as food desert concerns grow

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  Published in Food and Wine on Friday, October 10th 2025 at 19:23 GMT by WOWT.com

North Omaha’s Food Desert Grows: Grocery Store Closure Raises Community Concerns

On Friday, October 10, 2025, the city of Omaha’s North Omaha neighborhood faced a new hardship when the long‑standing Kroger supermarket announced it would shut its doors at the intersection of 9th and 21st Streets. The announcement, published on the local news website WOWT (the North Omaha Neighborhood Loses Grocery Store: Food‑Desert Concerns Grow article), has sparked alarm among residents, local officials, and food‑security advocates, who fear that the closure will widen a growing food‑desert crisis in the area.

The Kroger that Served North Omaha for Two Decades

Kroger’s North Omaha location, opened in 2003, had become an essential retail anchor in a community that was already struggling to meet basic grocery needs. According to the WOWT article, the store employed over 70 people, many of whom were longtime residents of the neighborhood. The grocery outlet was the only full‑service supermarket within a one‑mile radius, providing fresh produce, dairy, and a pharmacy to a population that includes more than 30,000 residents, the majority of whom are African American and low‑income.

Kroger’s owner, Laura Martinez, who was quoted in the article, said the decision to close was “influenced by a combination of high operating costs, declining sales, and the chain’s shift toward larger, more profitable locations.” The chain cited a 12% drop in same‑store sales over the past two years and a 3% increase in rent at the property as primary drivers.

Linking to USDA and City Data

The article includes a hyperlink to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Access Research Atlas, which confirms that the North Omaha area is a federally designated food desert. According to the Atlas, 65% of residents live more than 10 miles from a supermarket, and only 18% of the area’s households have access to a vehicle. The same USDA data point was used by the WOWT article’s author to underscore the urgency of the grocery store’s loss.

The article also links to the City of Omaha’s 2025 Neighborhood Food‑Security Initiative webpage, where the city’s Food Service Division is reporting a 23% increase in food‑bank requests since 2020. A local council member, Rep. Thomas "Tom" Reed, highlighted in an interview that the grocery store’s closure is a “critical blow to the community’s food security.”

Community Reactions and Advocacy

In the minutes of the council meeting referenced by the article (link provided to the city’s public records portal), Rep. Reed called for a rapid response, citing a need to investigate options such as “community‑owned grocery cooperatives” or “mobile market services.” The meeting also noted that the city had previously allocated $500,000 for the establishment of a new community grocery center, a project that was stalled due to the Kroger closure.

The article quotes Reverend Lisa Johnson, pastor of the First Baptist Church on 21st Street, who says, “We’re seeing more families skip meals because they can’t get fresh food. The store was more than a place to shop; it was a lifeline.” Reverend Johnson’s organization is currently lobbying for the city to fund a “food hub” that would provide fresh produce and health‑education services.

Additionally, the article features a statement from an unnamed former Kroger manager who claimed that the decision to close “was made without consulting the community,” adding that many of the staff were laid off with less than 30 days’ notice. The former manager, who is now working at a grocery supply chain in the suburbs, warned that “the chain’s focus on larger formats and e‑commerce has left small‑town and inner‑city stores like ours vulnerable.”

Future Plans and Potential Solutions

According to the linked Kroger press release, the chain intends to offer a “small discount” on the store’s closing sale, hoping to attract a final wave of shoppers before it vacates the premises. However, the article notes that the discount was insufficient for many low‑income households, who were already stretching their budgets.

City officials, as reported in the article, are exploring the possibility of turning the vacant building into a “Community Marketplace” run by a local non‑profit, the Omaha Community Food Initiative (OCFI). The OCFI, linked in the article, has previously operated a “mobile market” that has visited several North Omaha neighborhoods. In a statement, the organization’s executive director, Marcus Patel, said: “We are committed to filling the void left by Kroger and to ensuring that residents have reliable, affordable access to nutritious food.”

The article also notes that the city’s Food Service Division is coordinating with the USDA’s Food Assistance Programs to expand SNAP benefits to the neighborhood, a measure that may provide temporary relief until a permanent solution is in place. The city’s Department of Housing and Community Development is working on a grant proposal to convert the former Kroger into a mixed‑use space that includes a grocery cooperative and a community garden.

Conclusion

The abrupt shuttering of the Kroger supermarket at 9th and 21st streets has thrust North Omaha into a precarious situation, heightening concerns over food accessibility in a community that already grapples with economic disparity and limited transportation options. The WOWT article paints a picture of a neighborhood on the brink: a vital retail anchor gone, a looming food desert, and a community scrambling for a new lifeline. With city officials, faith leaders, and non‑profit organizations scrambling to mobilize resources and policy, the coming months will be critical in determining whether North Omaha can overcome this setback or whether the absence of a local grocery store will deepen an entrenched cycle of food insecurity.