Many poor communities are considered a food desert with no quality grocery stores within walking distance of their residents.  So, people are left to purchase food for their families at convenience stores where a bag of chips and a Slim Jim constitute dinner.

In a very timely story for our area, NPR had a story yesterday highlighting a program hosted by Baltimore's Public Libraries that allows underserved communities order healthy foods online.  The Virtual Supermarket Project is a part of Baltimore's push to make food available to people where supermarkets are scarce. 

This comes at a time when Kroger is shutting down a branch in Roselawn, and Hamilton's Lane Public Libraries are asking the community for funding to stay open on next week's ballot.  Think about the services that a library provides for a community over and beyond books, and try to convince yourself that they are not essential resources for the longterm health of a community.