Ward 8 - Food

ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS FOOD

AARP DC is working to ensure voters are prepared to vote and informed of where the candidates stand on issues of importance.

Using AARP research and survey data, AARP DC created a questionnaire for all candidates listed on the primary ballot to share their vision for the issues that matter most to older District residents, their families, their caregivers, and their providers. These include transportation, housing, access to nutritious foods and addressing health disparities. Click here to see the candidate's answers on the other topics.

Candidates

Democratic Primary

• Salim Adofo (SA)
• Mike Austin (MA)
• Sheila Bunn (SB)
• Trayon White Sr. (TW)

Question:

What is your plan to increase access to stable, affordable, healthy food options, especially in “food deserts” located in Ward 8?

SA - Provide targeted tax incentives or subsidies for grocery stores and healthy food retailers to open in food desert areas. These incentives could include property tax breaks, sales tax exemptions, or grants to offset startup costs.

Encourage partnerships between the city and private companies to develop grocery stores or farmers’ markets in underserved neighborhoods. These partnerships could leverage public land, private investment, or nonprofit expertise to provide healthy food access.

MA - In Ward 8, no one should have to travel miles just to buy fresh food. I’ll push for another full-service grocery store, support local urban farms, and invest in mobile markets and SNAP incentives, and smaller grocery options. We must treat food access as a public health issue because it is. As councilmember, I’ll work to make healthy, affordable food available on every block, not just in some neighborhoods.

SB - I will invest in small footprint grocery stores, coops, farmers markets, and community gardens, supporting expansion with tax breaks, grants, or low-interest loans. Increase funding for food pharmacys and mobile food markets like the Arcadia Mobile Market and the Capital Area Food Bank's Senior Brown Bag program. Partner with nonprofits for home delivery to seniors and those with limited mobility. Expand Instacart’s Good Food at Home program to 1,000 participants in Wards 7 and 8.

TW - Candidate did not respond