Nonprofit covers costs: Shoppers receive $55 worth of free groceries in Fairfield

By Sym Posey | For The Birmingham Times

Charles and Maryland Voltz were among several dozen residents who lined up Tuesday morning for $55 worth of free groceries at Carver Jones Market, a recently opened black-owned store in Fairfield.

The couple said they have lived in nearby Belwood for nearly 42 years and it is “wonderful to have a grocery store so close to home,” Charles Voltz said. “When we moved to Fairfield, there were a lot of good things here. Over the years, it has declined, but … It's good to see things picking up again,”

After Walmart closed in town, the couple began shopping in neighboring communities like McCalla and Hueytown, leaving the town of about 10,000 residents without a grocery store.

But now James Harris, president and CEO of Carver Jones, is offering Fairfield residents a place to shop for groceries. The Carver Jones Market is named after George Washington Carver and Fredrick McKinely Jones, two black inventors.

Customers will find everything they expect from other national chains, as well as affordable own brands. “It took seven years for me and my team [to open] “We thought it would work in an area like Fairfield where you need a smaller grocery store,” Harris said. “There are no grocery stores there at all and we were invited to come here and start. It's a passion to see things change and to try to change them.”

The Voltz couple, along with the first 55 seniors and single parents, received $55 worth of free groceries thanks to the ReVote Community Voter Project, presented by Faith and Works founder Cara McClure, who celebrated her 55th birthday and a decade of activism by giving back.

“This is huge. We meet multiple needs. People always ask how we keep our community safe. Feeding people keeps our community safe and lowers crime,” McClure said. “We want to end hunger in communities and make sure we promote fresh fruits and vegetables while supporting a black-owned business. Fairfield was a food desert and now they have a grocery store, but we need to make sure people know about it,” she said.

Founded in 2019 and launched in 2020, Faith and Works is a social justice and civic engagement organization.

McClure said she knows firsthand the challenges of being a single parent and wanted to do something for her community. “I wanted to find a way to support a black-owned grocery store while also helping the community I love. I'm a single parent and almost at retirement age,” she said.

“I am also celebrating 10 years of activism,” she added. “In December 2014, the rise of Black Lives Matter [movement]. That's when I started and co-founded the Birmingham chapter of Black Lives Matter. After years of being involved with BLM, I realized that something was missing from all the meetings and organizations. It was either about power or about prayer. For me, there was a gap between church and activism and that's what Faith and Works created for me.”

Carver Jones is located at 4800 Gary Avenue in Fairfield, Alabama.