If you’re looking to buy convenient, inexpensive, and yummy food, search no further. Anabel’s Grocery, which opened last semester, offers low-cost groceries and more to the entire Cornell community all from the first floor of Anabel Taylor Hall. Now, students can make nutritious meals anywhere, even a dorm kitchen.
Anabel’s Grocery’s founders Emma Johnston ’16 and Matthew Stefanko ’16 created the Grocery to make food shopping more convenient. While a trip to Wegman’s requires planning and multiple bus rides for a three hour trip just to get a few groceries, a trip to Anabel’s Grocery takes a quarter of the time and just a short walk from the central campus or collegetown.
Plus, Anabel’s Grocery has fresh, healthy food. While the salad bar at Trillium is definitely wonderful, the campus is generally lacking in nutritious food options, especially in ways to buy food for the dorm.
It also aims to educate students more about the food they eat. The organization Anabel’s Programming partners with the Grocery to accomplish this goal with volunteer opportunities, fun events, and guided discussions. Some of the exciting programs they have include free cooking classes using ingredients found in the Grocery, building meal kits for students staying on campus during breaks so that students have more options while there are fewer dining options, and documentary screenings and guest speakers.
Food insecurity is a prevalent issue on campus, and Anabel’s Grocery was formed in response to it. According to the 2015 Perceptions of Undergraduate Life and Student Experiences Survey, twenty percent of students miss a meal for financial reasons. The Grocery works to prevent any student from having to sacrificing a meal. To avoid the stigma surrounding food pantries and seeking aid on campus, students can shop at Annabel’s Grocery for cheaper and more nutritious food options. Some students, with anonymity, can qualify for a 10% subsidy if they meet the USDA guidelines.
The store is not just for students seeking discounted food, though. Although the Grocery aims to be convenient and affordable to ensure that food insecure students don’t need to sacrifice meals, students of all socioeconomic backgrounds are encouraged to shop there. The more people engaged with their food, the better. Anabel’s Grocery can only survive and thrive if everyone supports it.
Students can sign up for Anabel’s Shoppers Club on the Anabel’s Grocery Website. By registering, students can hear about promotions, events such as free cooking classes, and be entered to win merchandise. Anabel’s Grocery will also donate $1 to the Friendship Donation Network, an organization that works to reduce food insecurity in Ithaca, for every ten people who sign up.
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Anabel’s Grocery. You’re in for a (nutritious) treat!
