June 9, 2020 9:30p
(WGTD)---A non-profit that dedicated itself to trying to fill a food desert in Racine is abandoning its effort to open a brick-and-mortar store near the Racine Zoo.
In a news release, the Wild Root Market Cooperative said it will no longer pursue putting a market into an empty building at 500 Walton Ave. Over $1 million in start-up loans made to the organization by its members will be returned, the release said.
The 10-year-long project stalled late last year after the county refused to lend money to Wild Root. This year's pandemic added another layer of uncertainty.
The group's board is vowing that the cooperative won't go away, saying that it will continue to work on developing healthy food options and addressing economic inequities.
The release says that Wild Root's members will continue to receive member-benefits from other area food coops.
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