Jeannine Johansen remembers the halcyon(平静而幸福的；黄金的) days of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, when so many of its steep streets were punctuated(不时打断；点缀) by grocery stores: Almacs, A&P, Piggly Wiggly(美国历史悠久的连锁超市品牌) and Star Market. In the blizzard(暴风雪) of 1978, “everybody went to Fernandes [Produce] because Stop & Shop was too far, and all the roads were closed, so we had to walk”, said the native Woonsocketer.
珍妮·约翰森回忆起罗德岛州文索基特市的黄金岁月，那时它陡峭的街道上点缀着许多杂货店：阿尔马克斯、A&P、皮格利·威格利和星市场。这位土生土长的文索基特人说，在1978年的暴风雪中，“大家都去费尔南德斯农产品店，因为Stop & Shop太远了，而且所有道路都封闭了，所以我们只能步行。”
These days, Woonsocket is down to one full-service supermarket: a solitary(独自的；唯一的) Price Rite serving 45,000 residents, 37% of them food insecure(食品不安全；缺乏稳定食物来源), perched at(位于高处；坐落于) the top of a hill in a strip mall(带状购物中心) at the edge of the city. A nearby Dollar General offers frozen meat and packaged foods. Locals with cars (18% of Woonsocket residents have no vehicle) might travel farther afield(更远的地方；到远处), beyond Woonsocket’s borders, to Shaw’s or Aldi in search of(寻找) deals.
如今，文索基特市只剩一家全方位服务的超市：一个孤零零的Price Rite，为4.5万居民服务，其中37%的人面临食品不安全，它坐落在城市边缘一个带状购物中心的山顶上。附近的Dollar General提供冷冻肉类和包装食品。有车的当地人（文索基特18%的居民没有车）可能会到更远的地方，越过文索基特边界，去Shaw's或Aldi寻找便宜货。
Meanwhile, every week about 300 families shop for free produce(农产品（尤指新鲜蔬果）) and pantry staples(主食；常备食品) at a bus-accessible marketplace hosted by community non-profit Connecting for Children and Families, where Johansen volunteers – although the need is much greater than organizers can accommodate(容纳；满足需求). In the past, “you had a lot of choice”, said Johansen, “so you could shop around(货比三家) for good prices”. She recognizes more local supermarkets jockeying(争夺；运用手段获取) for customers would make provisioning(食品供应；采购) more convenient and affordable.
与此同时，每周约有300个家庭在公交可达的市场购物，那里提供免费农产品和主食，该市场由社区非营利组织“连接儿童与家庭”主办，约翰森在那里做志愿者——尽管需求远大于组织者所能满足的。过去，“你有很多选择，”约翰森说，“所以你可以货比三家。”她认识到更多本地超市争夺顾客将使采购更加方便和实惠。