Cultivate Hope Corner Store

 

About the Corner Store

Healthy food. We all know we should be eating it, but what does it mean to “eat healthy?” Is it an achievable way of life for everyone? For some budgets, it may not be possible to shop both healthy and affordable at major grocers. For some households, it may not be accessible to make it to a grocery store every week. For some individuals, it may not be realistic to create healthy meals every night.

Whatever the barrier is to healthy eating, the Cultivate Hope Corner Store is here to help. 

The Cultivate Hope Corner Store is a small, nonprofit grocery store located in the historic Hosmer Building on the corner of Ellis Boulevard and E Avenue, near downtown Cedar Rapids. This beautifully remodeled space provides reduced-cost produce that is fresh and local, as well as other dry goods and food staples. Groundswell Cafe supplies fresh, ready-to-eat meals at the store. There is also a small seating area where we will soon host food workshops and other community-building events.

Our vision is to make this community grocery store a vibrant space that brings neighbors together and provides a convenient location for healthy food in a food desert neighborhood. Continue reading below for more information about the Corner Store.

Interested in working or volunteering at the Corner Store? Click here for employment opportunities, and click here to learn more about volunteering as a Corner Store Ambassador.

 

What is the Cultivate Hope Corner Store?

This local, nonprofit grocery store is an avenue to bring healthy, nutritious, and affordable food to the Time Check neighborhood. It is filled with fresh produce, grocery staples, affordable and healthy prepared meals, and even a selection of free produce to supplement the shopper on a budget.

Who can shop here?

Everyone and anyone is welcome – and encouraged! – to shop here. The convenient location along E Avenue and Ellis Boulevard makes it a perfect place to shop for a few essentials on your way home from work, or for those living in surrounding neighborhoods to pick up the groceries they need from a walkable location. Even if you’re from the other side of town, we’d love to have you stop by the Corner Store to support our mission – and your fellow neighbors.

Is this a food pantry?

The Cultivate Hope Corner Store is not a food pantry, however there is a free produce selection in this grocery store that allows shoppers on a tight budget to get extra fruit and veggies into their meals at home. This free produce section is made possible by shoppers that pay-it-forward, or donate money at the register.

What if I don’t know how to cook very well?

That’s OK! We can’t all be master chefs, but shopping at the Corner Store can help get you on the right track to make healthy, nutritious meals at home. One way this can happen is by leaving the cooking to us and grabbing some of our prepared meals. Alternatively, we will have workshops, classes, and easy recipes available to learn how to take the good food at the Corner Store and make delicious meals at home. Stay tuned for a list of workshop dates.

What can you buy here?

The Corner Store has lots of fresh produce, prepared meals, a rotisserie, and lots of other grocery staples, such as milk, eggs, dairy, bread, and other pantry items. This store may not have the abundance of options found at larger grocers, but the Corner Store has the necessities for a healthy meal.

When can I shop at the Corner Store?

The Cultivate Hope Corner Store is now open! The store’s regular hours are 8 am-8 pm, Monday-Saturday.

How can I get more involved with the Corner Store?

There are two ways to get involved right away with the Cultivate Hope Corner Store: click here for employment opportunities, and click here to learn more about the volunteer Ambassador Program.

Where is it located?

The Cultivate Hope Corner Store is located at 604 Ellis Boulevard, on the corner of E Ave. and Ellis Blvd. Named the Hosmer Building, a grocery store originally resided in this space throughout the early and mid 1900s, providing grocery staples to a growing and vibrant community. By bringing a grocery store back to the community, we hope to provide good food for the neighborhood once again.