All of us see problems in our communities. It’s the rare person who takes it upon herself to fix one, and an even rarer one who succeeds. Rhonda Vesey is just such a person.

There hasn’t been a grocery store in Vesey’s immediate neighborhood since 2018. Tops Friendly Markets in the Valley Plaza shut its doors in a corporate restructuring, despite large government subsidies to support it. That left neighborhood residents who don’t have transportation, or who can’t walk a couple of miles, with zero options to buy fresh, healthy food.

Four years ago, the former financial professional decided to do something about it. Vesey started a grassroots group, Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now, and organized a summer farmers market, then a winter one.

At the same time, she was pestering gr

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