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City Of Greensboro Mourns, Applauds Renaissance Community Co-op

Downtown Greensboro. DAVID FORD/WFDD

The City of Greensboro is marking the end of a community-owned food store.

The board of Renaissance Community Co-op notified its 1,300 members on Wednesday that the grocery store would shut its doors by the end of the month because sales couldn't keep up with costs.

The goal of the project was to provide jobs and fresh food in a part of Greensboro that's been considered a food desert.

A spokesperson from the City of Greensboro said in a statement Thursday the closure of the co-op is a “tremendous loss,” but applauded its mission.

"While only open two years, the grocery store provided access to healthy food options in the heart of a food desert," they said.

City leaders also encourage residents to keep the spirit of Renaissance alive, and say that the project is an example of community collaboration that helped improve quality of life in the city.

Greensboro has been named among the hungriest cities the nation over the years, as food insecurity continues to challenge families across the region.

Sean Bueter joined WFDD in August 2015 as a reporter covering issues across the Piedmont Triad and beyond.Previously, Sean was a reporter, host and news director at WBOI in Fort Wayne, Ind., just a few hours from where he grew up. He also sorted Steve Inskeep's mail as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C.Sean has experience on a variety of beats, including race, wealth and poverty, economic development, and more. His work has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and APM's Marketplace.In his spare time, Sean plays tennis (reasonably well), golf (reasonably poorly), and scours local haunts for pinball machines to conquer.

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