Charles and Maryland Voltz were among several dozen residents who stood in line on a recent Tuesday morning for $55 worth of free groceries from Carver Jones Market, a recently opened and Black-owned business in Fairfield.

The couple said they have lived in nearby Belwood for nearly 42 years, and it feels “wonderful to have a grocery store so close to home,” said Charles Voltz. “When we first moved to Fairfield, there were a lot of good things here. It’s taken a dip over the years, but … it’s good to be on the up and go.”

After the city’s Walmart closed, the couple did their shopping in neighboring communities like McCalla and Hueytown, and that left the city of approximately 10,000 without a local grocery store.

James Harris, president and CEO of Carver Jones Market. (Amarr Croskey, For The Birmingham Times)

But now James Harris, president and CEO of Carver Jones Market, is giving Fairfield residents a place to shop for groceries. The Carver Jones Market is at 4800 Gary Ave. in Fairfield, Alabama, and is named for George Washington Carver and Fredrick McKinley Jones, two Black inventors.

Customers can find everything in the market they expect from other national chains as well as affordable, private-label options.

“It took seven years for myself and my team [to open] what we thought would work in an environment like Fairfield where you need a smaller grocery store,” Harris said. “There are no grocery stores at all, and we were invited to come and start here. It is a passion to see things change and to try to change them.”

The Voltz couple, along with the first 55 senior citizens and single parents, received $55 worth of free groceries thanks to ReVote Community Voter Project presented by Faith and Works founder Cara McClure, who was celebrating her 55th birthday and a decade of activism by giving back.

“This is huge. We’re meeting several needs,” she said. “People are always asking how we keep our community safe. Feeding people keeps our community safe and cuts down on crime. We want to end hunger in the communities, and we want to make sure we promote fresh fruits and vegetables while also supporting a Black-owned business. Fairfield was a food desert and now they have a grocery store, but we got to make sure that people know about it.”

Founded in 2019 and launched in 2020, Faith and Works serves as a social justice and civic engagement organization. McClure said she knows firsthand the challenges of being a single parent and wanted to do something for her community.

“I wanted to find a way to support a Black-owned grocery store while helping the community I love,” she said. “I am a single parent and I’m near being a senior.”

“I’m also celebrating 10 years of activism,” she added. “In December 2014 was the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. That’s when I started, and I’m one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter Birmingham chapter. After years of BLM, I realized that there was something missing in all the meetings and all of the organizations. It was either power, or it was either prayer. To me, there was a gap between the church and activism, and that created Faith and Works for me.”

From left, Charles Voltz, Cara McClure, Faith and Works founder, who was celebrating her 55th birthday, and Maryland Voltz, at Carver Jones Market in Fairfield. (Amarr Croskey, For The Birmingham Times)

This article was originally published by The Birmingham Times.