Ensuring everyone has access to the ingredients to live stronger, healthier lives
Expanding Nutrition Access
Ensuring fresh food isn’t a luxury, but part of everyday life. Federal rules limit SNAP purchases to eligible grocery items, but our first-in-country model is in full compliance with federal policy, accepts SNAP, and still sends families home with fresh, healthy meals.
Here’s how it works:
Purchase farm fresh ingredient meal kits at our market
use SNAP, Food Bucks, WIC, OTC Cards, Credit, Debit, or Cash
Exchange your meal kit for the equivalent hot meal
at The Kitchen Next Door, a partner culinary apprenticeship kitchen, for no additional cost
Enjoy a delicious and healthy meal
sourced from local farmers and distributors, available right in your neighborhood
But that’s not all. Our model is…
Overcoming key obstacles
Every barrier to healthy eating identified in our CHANGE Study with Penn Medicine is addressed in our model: time, kitchen access, price, and nutrition knowledge.
Increasing purchasing power
$1 at The Community Grocer equates to $1.50 thanks to our partners at The Food Trust. Here, every dollar goes further.
Improving Health Outcomes
We are turning the corner store into a new standard of community care by working with providers, health plans, and partners to fuel stronger bodies, families, and communities without sacrificing flavor or affordability.
Managing health conditions like diabetes or heart disease? Receive up to $50 a week in grocery credits
Meet with a Community Health Worker (CHW), our in house Social Worker, or use our telehealth phone booths
Learn more about nutrition, health services, and more
GroceryRx
Managing health conditions like diabetes or heart disease? Receive up to $50 a week in grocery credits for fresh, local food at The Community Grocer.
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Sign up through our waitlist for options to join through your healthcare provider, your insurance plan, with the Food Trust, a CHW or directly with us.
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All TCG ingredients and meal kits! You can even trade them for a hot meal at The Kitchen Next Door at no additional cost.
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Food is medicine, seriously. Access to nutritious meals have been linked to reducing emergency room visits, saving healthcare costs, and improving overall health.
Additionally, you'll meet with a Community Health Worker (CHW) once a month to help navigate your healthcare needs. You can also opt-in to our research study with Penn Medicine tracking health outcomes of this program.
Building Local Resilience
By sourcing ingredients from local farmers, building careers through apprenticeships, and reinvesting revenue into local youth programs, we are intentionally strengthening our local economy and aligning systems from soil to supper.
Earn competitive wages from your first shift while building professional culinary careers and feeding your community.
Every dollar at TCG stays in the community. Excess revenue funds youth field trips, sports leagues, and nutrition education programs.
Local Farmers & Distribution Networks
A resilient food system starts with local partners who grow together.
Your career starts here.
The TCG Apprenticeship is a 12-month, U.S. Department of Labor certified Registered Apprenticeship inside our retailer and community infrastructure.
Get paid from day one
Earn competitive wages in full-time positions, 35-40 hours per week, and receive stipends for transit and professional attire
Train with industry veterans
Hands-on mentorship in cooking, food safety, hospitality, and business management plus access to our second-floor community hub: financial literacy courses, soft skills training, conflict resolution workshops, and computer resources
Step into a career
Finish with a year of experience and direct pathways to careers in grocery, hospitality, catering, and culinary fields.
Earn credentials
Graduate with the ServSafe Manager and USDOL Line Cook certifications, in partnership with Philadelphia Works, the National Restaurant Association Education Fund, and the PA Restaurant & Lodging Association.
Our Apprenticeship Program
By combining competitive W-2 wages, hands-on professional mentorship, and local employer connections, our program empowers Philadelphians to build long-term culinary careers without sacrificing their daily needs.
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By hiring apprentices as full-time, W-2 employees from day one, participants earn a real, growing wage while they learn. This model allows trainees to fully engage in the program without having to choose between gaining skills and meeting basic needs.
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Our apprentices spend a full year immersed in a functioning food business, building both technical and transferable skills directly applicable to long-term employment. Upon completion, apprentices have one year of documented workplace experience, positioning them to confidently pursue roles that align with their abilities and goals, whether through our employer partners, a new responsibility at TCG, or elsewhere.
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We are actively reconnecting local businesses with local talent so our neighbors can find tangible employment opportunities close to home. Over time, this program will train over hundreds of Philadelphians, creating a pipeline for local employment while transforming how careers are built.
Reinvesting in our Community
Our team sponsored and led an afterschool arts and nutrition education program at W.C. Bryant Promise Academy.
Over the course of 6 months, students learned about healthy eating through art education. At the end of the year - students designed a mural entitled “the future of food” that now lives on the exterior of The Community Grocer.
Our Local Farmers & Distribution Networks
Our Thought Partners
To build more just systems, we need to innovate and grow together. With our thought partners from across the city and globe we are able to do just that.
How it Started
The Community Grocer began by listening to our neighbors to understand the realities of our food system.
Meet Our Team
Sustainability advocate and community collaborator with a passion for building better systems through co-creation, equity, and market-based solutions
Alexandre Imbot
Co-Founder & CEO
Social entrepreneur and food justice advocate dedicated to promoting health equity, neighborhood-led change, and sustainable community economic development
Eli Moraru
Co-Founder & President
Culinary educator, food justice advocate, and industry leader who blends professional excellence with a passion for community change
Joy Parham
Apprenticeship Program Director
Strategic advocate and community organizer dedicated to advancing food sovereignty, securing funding, and building partnerships across networks
Sophie Keane
Institutional Relations and Administrative Director
Retail operations leader born into a family of farmers, dedicated to agricultural education, neighbor-focused store execution, and urban food accessibility
Issa James
General Manager
Mission-driven culinary leader and educator dedicated to team mentorship, operational excellence, and empowering community kitchens through culinary training
Samir Y. Hernandez
Chef De Cuisine
Our Board of Directors
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Dr. Akira Drake Rodriguez
Assistant Professor at UPENN's Weitzman School of Design
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Darryl Blakey
Manager of Government Affairs at BASF Corporation
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Rachel Greengas
Sustainability and Strategy Expert
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Alpa Shah
Founder & CEO of To Empower Women (ToEW)
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Mary Jones
Director of Legislation and Policy for Councilmember Jamie Gauthier
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Greg Goldman
Chief Development Officer at Please Touch Museum
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Dr. Saba Khan
Director of the Food Pharmacy at CHOP
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Randy Kunkle
Senior Vice President & Regional CRA Manager at M&T Bank
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Pastor Terrilynn Donnell
Executive Director of Community of Compassion Inc.
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Michael Banks
Chief Operating Officer at Intercultural Family Services