Program brings financial empowerment services into Kroger grocery stores
Louisville, KY. – A partnership between The Kroger Company and Louisville Metro Government will now offer free financial empowerment services to customers inside select Kroger grocery stores.
The two organizations, along with Dare to Care Food Bank, launched the Kroger and Bank On Louisville Food and Financial Access Program last July, supplying on-site outreach for customers of Kroger’s Mobile Market, which travels neighborhoods that have limited access to food retail.
Kroger’s Mobile Market is a small grocery store on wheels that visits neighborhoods with limited access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods. Mobile Market customers can board the vehicle to shop for fresh produce and staple food items, and they can pay by debit card, credit card, or Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT).
“We’re excited about the pilot’s initial financial empowerment results and thrilled to continue opening doors to access, equity and fruitful futures for our customers and community,” said The Kroger Co., Louisville Division Corporate Affairs Manager Jessica Sharp.
Financial empowerment services and information available at Kroger Mobile Market sites include:
- Free financial counseling from the Louisville Financial Empowerment Center
- Free tax preparation services from the Volunteer Income Tax Program (VITA)
- Access to Bank On Louisville’s certified banking products across 10 financial institutions in the Louisville market
- Free financial coaching and counseling for people with disabilities
Now those same financial services will be offered beginning inside five Kroger grocery stores:
- 2710 W. Broadway
- 520 N. 35th St.
- 3165 S. 2nd St.
- 4211 S. 3rd St.
- 10645 Dixie Hwy.
This “Phase Two” of the program will last for the next few months, ending in April or May, depending on weather. Then, the third and final phase of the program year will resume the mobile operation during the summer.
“This collaboration provides meaningful tools for our community,” said Dare to Care President and CEO Vincent James. “Just as food plays a key role in our health, financial health is vital to ending hunger. One of the biggest barriers to food insecurity is a livable wage. When families are empowered financially, they have better access to the foods they need.”
Officials with Dare to Care, Kroger and Metro Government hope to continue the success they have seen with the Mobile Market sites.
Between July and October of last year, Bank On Louisville financial counselors engaged with 271 customers at six Mobile Market sites throughout the city, administering 129 financial assessments, and connecting citizens to counseling appointments, according to the program Impact Report.
“Consumer costs are growing,” said Office of Financial Empowerment Social Services Policy and Advocacy Supervisor Ce Garrison. “We know grocery bills have increased more than 12 percent since the start of the pandemic which outpaces the rate of general inflation. People need their money to stretch now more than ever. Offering opportunities to strategize about financial options is essential to the economic health of our community. What better place to do it than on-site at Kroger when people come in to shop?”
The Louisville Metro Office of Financial Empowerment’s mission is to strengthen the impact of the Office of Resilience and Community Services through enhanced economic opportunities that build financial resilience, promote economic justice, and provide access to high-quality resources.
More details can be found at: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services/office-financial-empowerment