Evans Announces $4.9 Million in State Support for Philadelphia Supermarket Initiative
Resources will be used to fund three supermarkets, create 1,200 new jobs

PHILADELPHIA, September 28th -- State Representative Dwight Evans today announced the awarding of $4.9 million in state funding for three supermarket projects in Philadelphia. The resources will be used to purchase equipment for new Fresh Grocer stores to be built at Progress Plaza, LaSalle University, and Chelten Avenue. These three projects combined will create an estimated 1,200 new jobs.

"I am pleased to announce this critical funding for three important projects," Representative Dwight Evans stated. "This funding is a demonstration of the Commonwealth’s commitment to building supermarkets in underserved communities and creating desperately needed jobs.”

The $4.9 million in funding is from the Machinery and Equipment Loan Fund (MELF) portion of the First Industries Agriculture fund. A First Industries MELF Loan is a low-interest loan that is used to purchase machinery and equipment, and it is administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Representative Evans was instrumental in ensuring that supermarkets could qualify for funding under this program, which is designed to encourage economic stimulus through the use of bond funds.

“We are extremely excited to build 3 brand new state-of-the art supermarkets in Philadelphia,” said Pat Burns, CEO of Fresh Grocer. “The citizens of Phila should be proud of the leadership Representative Dwight Evans has showed by bringing supermarkets back to Philadelphia.”

Evans also created the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a public/private partnership seeded with $20 million in Commonwealth resources and an additional $80 million in private matching funds. Rep. Evans is the driving force behind the Initiative, whose partners are the Food Trust, The Reinvestment Fund (TRF), and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC). In tandem, FFFI and the MELF First Industries Fund provide a comprehensive approach to leveraging public and private resources to build supermarkets and create jobs in underserved neighborhoods throughout the Commonwealth.

“The House of Representatives has spent the majority of our time this week debating a myriad of proposals designed to combat violence,” stated Evans, referencing the current House Committee of the Whole session on violence. “A major part of the solution to eliminating violence on our streets must come from increasing opportunities for quality jobs in our neighborhoods, and this funding will help accomplish that task."

The Progress Plaza project is projected to be completed in October of 2007; the LaSalle University project is expected to be completed in December of 2007; and the Chelten Avenue project will be completed in August of 2007. A chart listing the project locations and projected job creation targets is attached.

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Last Updated: September 28, 2006