Fareway breaks ground on new Coal Valley store to end food desert

COAL VALLEY, Ill. (KWQC) - Fareway recently broke ground on a new location at the southeast corner of First Street and Route 6, marking progress in a city effort that has been ongoing since 2008 to address the community’s food desert status.

“Everybody wants to be able to get what they need in the community they live in, and this is going to be a big part, a big goal for that,” Beckwith said.

The project represents the culmination of years of work by city officials to bring grocery access back to Coal Valley, which has been without a full-service grocery store for 15 years.

Store selection targets smaller communities

Fareway officials said they choose smaller communities for this exact reason.

“We’re going to be bringing jobs to the community. Anywhere from 50 to 80 jobs. Hopefully give some youth an opportunity to maybe take their first jump into the job market, and that’s why we get excited about these types of smaller communities because we’re able to be a hometown grocer for them,” said Rick Beckwith, vice president of Fareway Grocery Stores.

Previous store failed to meet community needs

Coal Valley Village President Michael Bartels said the previous store that closed 15 years ago had significant problems.

“The previous store did have expired items. It wasn’t a clean store. They had switched multiple owners through the previous years before it closed. People just knew that there were better places to shop, and so they went elsewhere,” Bartels said.

Beyond the jobs that it will bring, the new store will solve what has been a 15-year issue of finding healthy food options.

“I would say more than a food desert, it’s about having the option to have healthy foods. We don’t have that option here in Coal Valley to have meat, vegetables, or a meat market that Fareway will bring,” Bartels said.

Regional food desert challenges

Coal Valley is not the only community struggling with food deserts. Several spots in the QCA have them, including parts of Davenport, Camanche and Princeton.

“Our 2024 community health assessment actually showed that 15% of Quad Citizens are in a food desert, which means they don’t have that reliable access to fresh produce and protein options,” said Christina McDonough, chair of the Food Rescue Partnership.

Local food pantry welcomes addition

The Coal Valley Food Pantry has been a staple for over 20 years, working to fill the gap.

Representatives said the new store will take convenience to another level.

“We’re very happy that it’s coming. We get the majority of our food from River Bend Food Bank and then donations, but we have to fill in the cracks, and we’ll go to the grocery store to buy bread or whatever we need to fill in, so it will be really nice to have a store so close,” said Barbara Belville, Coal Valley Food Pantry representative.

Regina Mohr has lived in Coal Valley almost her entire life but had to drive to Moline for groceries. She said she is excited for a shorter trip in the coming years.

“It would be wonderful for us to get a grocery store that we didn’t have to go into town for. It would be right down the hill,” said Mohr, who also serves as Coal Valley Food Pantry coordinator.

Fareway officials said it is their hope that the store will open, weather pending, by the end of 2026.

Data provided by the Food Rescue Partnership shows that 25.5 percent of Quad Citizens surveyed in the 2024 Community Health Assessment have difficulty buying fresh produce.