They’re modern-day Robin Hoods!
Percy “Master P” Miller opened a new supermarket in a New Orleans senior living facility, Blavity reports.
Guste Grocery is a partnership between Miller, his son Romeo, and Rouses Markets. The new supermarket is set up in the Guste Homes Senior Facility, a public housing complex in New Orleans that houses over 400 elderly, disabled, and low-income residents. The area is a designated food desert, and residents have been trying for years to expand their access to fresh foods; most locals shopping for groceries at corner stores. The new Guste Grocery aims to bring fresh food to the elderly while also providing Black cooks and farmers a place to sell their food.
“This is such a blessing to be able to do this in the community where I grew up. It is challenging to get fresh produce and other necessary items when you do not have access to a grocery store because you don’t drive or you are disabled; this will allow the seniors to come down in their own building and have the access,” Miller told reporters.
Cynthia Wiggins, president of Guste Homes, spoke about the grocery store, saying, “We’ve had a lot of issues in this community with corner grocery stores, and nobody has done anything about it. We have been trying for four years to get this market done for our seniors. This community is a food desert, so this market is critical to us; we are grateful to Master P and Rouses for making it happen.”
Rouses is also planning on training residents to run the market. Guste Grocery will be open Monday through Friday for residents, and there are already plans to work with the local Housing Authority to bring more Rouses supermarkets to the city.
Miller took to social media to share the good news, saying, “Black-owned products in @rousesmarkets creating economic empowerment. We have a real plan of action. We are getting Black-owned products into Rouses supermarket in New Orleans. This is how we create economic empowerment. This is only the beginning! Salute to Rouses for being a part of this movement. #Godisgood It’s all about locals helping locals. That’s how we rebuild our community.”
While Rouse Markets was recently under fire after their founder attended the attack on the capital, his son, Donny Rouse Jr., CEO of the company, said that was his father’s personal decision and had nothing to do with the impact they will continue to make on the community.
“I wasn’t involved in the controversy. That’s something my dad did on his personal time. It doesn’t involve Rouses supermarkets. We’re a good company; we have over 7,000 great employees. We serve thousands of customers every day, so we’re here for communities like we’ve always been. We’re going to continue to grow with our communities,” Rouse Jr. told reporters.
Miller also spoke to reporters about the controversy, saying, “Every time we asked people to do something, nobody showed up. I’m happy and excited they showed up.”
Romeo spoke about Guste Homes’ importance for residents who have grown up in the city and why it was important for him to be a part of this effort.
“When I started making my own money, one of the first checks I wrote was to help Guste Homes; this senior community is very near and dear to us. We can’t forget those who have given us so much,” he said.
Thank you for all your work, Master P! Because of you, we can!
Photo Courtesy of NYPost