Sustainable Food Waste Management Company, Goodr, Opens Grocery Store At A Birmingham, AL, Middle School To Combat Food Insecurity
A first-of-its-kind initiative has made its way into Alabama’s Birmingham City Schools to improve student outcomes.
Goodr
Goodr continues to expand its footprint in education in an effort to make fresh food accessible to students. Goodr is a sustainable food waste management company that was founded by Jasmine Crowe-Houston in 2017, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. In 2021, it opened its first grocery store in Atlanta’s McNair Middle School.
Huffman Middle School
In October 2025, Goodr announced it had taken its efforts to Huffman Middle School, opening a 300-square-foot grocery store that is reportedly the “first of its kind in the Birmingham City Schools district,” according to a post on LinkedIn. Goodr’s grocery store is in partnership with Birmingham City Schools and Birmingham City Council District 1 Councilor Clinton Woods, per information shared on the middle school’s website.
The grocery store will be solely for students and their families, and WVMT 13 reports that they can expect to save about $900 to $1,200 a year.
“According to our recent census, the poverty rate in this neighborhood is close to 75%,” Jeffrey Willis, Huffman principal, told the outlet. “We have a free and reduced lunch rate at this school of close to 90%.”
Brenda Craig, a grandmother of twins at the middle school said, “Sometimes things are short; you pay bills, you go in the grocery store, and then your money is spent. Now, this will help me.”
The grocery store will be a two-year pilot program and cost nearly $277,450, per WVMT 3. The American Rescue Plan Act will support its funding.
A grand opening was held to celebrate the grocery store’s arrival, which will benefit the school’s more than 400 students. Crowe-Houston joined Woods, Willis, and Dr. Mark Sullivan, superintendent of Birmingham City Schools, for the ribbon cutting.
“Together, they reaffirmed what we have been saying for years: Access to healthy food should never be a privilege,” a post from Goodr read on LinkedIn. “We’re deeply grateful to Birmingham City Schools, the City of Birmingham, and every local partner helping us make hunger one less barrier to learning. Here’s to more communities where every child and family has what they need to thrive.”
