Lasalle Bank commits start-up funds to DEGC to help eliminate “food desert”

Lasalle Bank has committed $15,000 to help the Detroit Economic
Development Corporation establish a fund that would target areas of
Detroit in need of fresher food options.

Excerpt:

The
DEGC could complete an agreement with a consultant for setting up the
fund soon, said Olga Savic, the DEGC’s director of strategy and
external affairs.

The fund will be patterned after a one in
Pennsylvania called the Fresh Food Financing Initiative. The 3-year-old
fund, which started with $38 million, has financed 26 grocery stores to
date with $23 million in financing, Savic said.

The financing fund ties into the DEGC’s work with Social Compact, a national nonprofit it contracted with to identify market strengths and needs in Detroit.

“We
were already planning to look at this issue of grocery stores and to be
able to have a data-driven strategy around choosing sites for grocery
stores,” Savic said.

Read the entire article here.