Shanda Ferrucci and daughters.
Shanda Ferrucci grew up on a farm in the South and likes eating fresh produce, preferably grown by her family. She also likes bargain prices on name brands for paper goods and cleaning products.
She’s going to have both close by at the new Family Dollar store at 1168 Whalley Ave. near the corner of Dayton Street.
The new Family Dollar, which replaces an old CVS, is marking its grand opening week with a partnership with the local Boys and Girls Club to grow veggies and then sell them at a grand farmers market day in front of the new store later in the year.
Zhane Eillison, Lareece Ferrucci, and Meya Ferrucci, future gardeners.
That news — along with a $5,000 check courtesy of Unilver Corporation on behalf of Family Dollar, whose brand products are prominently for sale at Family Dollar — emerged during a ceremony Thursday morning.
After testy backing-and-forthing between some neighbors and city economic development officials late last year on why a more upscale business might not be found for the former CVS site, along with concerns about parking, the new store was approved for construction in February.
After regrading and repaving of the parking lot, the store formally opened last week, with this week being devoted to ongoing outreach to the community.
That culminates on Saturday with all-day activities including music, dancing, prize-giveaways, face painting, and a special appearance by clowns from 11 a.m. to noon, according to flyers being distributed to customers as they enter and leave the shiny new premises.
Jaaini Brinkcerhoff and Josh Bablin presented the check on behalf of Unilever and Family Dollar to the Boys and Girls Club of New Haven Executive Director Stephanie Barnes and a handful of her kids.
This is the eight gardening grant presented by Unilever to Family Dollar stores in neighborhoods where fresh vegetables can be hard to find, said Brinckerhoff.
“Unilever is a package goods company — Hellmans, Lipton, Knor— and Family Dollar carries the brands. This is part of our trying to build relationships in the community,” Brinckerhoff added.
Ten-year-old Blaize Dowdy, one of the club kids in attendance, said he has a little garden at home. His family has already has grown tomatoes and pumpkins.
Unilever’s Brinckerhoff and Bablin in back row with Barnes and Blaize Dowdy.
The Unilever folks also distributed a gardening-how-to book as well as coupon booklets, with their products for sale at Family Dollar, so the kids could take them home to their families.
The Boys and Girls Club’s Barnes said she’ll launch the project in September with the 30 or 40 kids in the club’s after-school program.
“We’ll put [the garden] in the front, a raised box,” said Barnes. She Calle it a way to involve the club’s families in learning and practicing healthy lifestyles.
She said she would not describe the club’s location on Columbus Avenue near Howard in the Hill as quite a “food desert.” C‑Town, where fresh produce is available, is only a mile away. But she praised the Family Dollar-Unilever partnership as giving her another means to work with families in what she termed “smart decision making.”
The three girls, daughters of Shanda Ferrucci, all had strong and different opinions about the importance of gardening. Ten-year-old Meya said growing plants of her own was, well, just fun. Nineteen-year-old Zhane, a biochemistry major at Southern Connecticut State University, said that with the obesity epidemic, a garden is important because too many people go to fast-food restaurants.
Middle daughter Lareece was a little more apocalyptic. Gardening is important, she said, in case there comes a time when the only food to be had will be what you grow yourself.
Allan Appel Photo
“One day we’ll have to [again] depend on the earth, not electronics. Children should know how to grow, cook, and sew,” mom concurred.
In the meantime — or while her kids are learning those skills — she’s grateful for the bargains and the coming fresh food at Family Dollar.
While the store seemed busy with customers during the visit, information as to how the place has been doing, as well as how many local people are being employed, was not immediately available from the Family Dollar corporate offices.