Newark’s “Our Community Grocery Store” is a Good Food Bucks Partner

Ahmad "AJ" Jones Our Community Grocery Store Manager Photo Credit: Chase Barnes, Good Food Bucks Communications and Outreach Associate

Our Community Grocery Store is more than just a store, it’s a movement. This food Co-Op started by Clinton Hill Community Action is meant to be for the community by the community. They sell everything from personal care products from local businesses to produce sourced by Urban Agriculture Co-Op, another Newark based food access organization. But that’s just scratching the surface, what Our Community Grocery Store is doing is more than that. Their ultimate goal is to not just feed people's stomachs, but also their minds and souls. They want people who visit them to walk away feeling empowered and nourished. 

Our Community Grocery Store Store front Photo Credit: Chase Barnes, Good Food Bucks Communications and Outreach Associate

In 2025, Our Community Grocery Store opened its doors and has quickly become a staple in the Clinton Hill neighborhood. Operated by Clinton Hill Community Action, a Newark based nonprofit, the store fits in perfectly in the organization’s food justice initiative. Beyond the store, Clinton Hill Community Action offers a wide variety of services and programs to their community, working to support food access, citizen journalism, environmental justice, housing access, promotion of the arts, and peacemaking. 

Our Community Grocery Store represents an innovative way to approach food access in Newark. Operating as a food co-op model, Our Community Grocery Store allows members to have greater agency over their choices, prices, and the products in the store, ensuring that the store reflects the desires and values of the community it’s serving.

One of the visionaries behind the store is Ahmad “AJ” Jones, the store manager. Informed by his own lived experiences growing up in Newark, AJ envisions Our Community Grocery to not just be a place to shop but a place for all members of the community to have their hearts, minds and stomachs fed. He reflected about being a teen in Newark and about how important it is to have a safe space to hang out after school, telling us  that “I want this to be a place where kids can come after school and can feel safe instead of being on the street”. The welcoming atmosphere, healthy snacks, and communal seating areas all point toward the community-centeredness of the store. 

In addition to the cafe at the front of the store, customers can buy personal care products made by local businesses, fresh produce, and a variety of other grocery items . As a Good Food Bucks partner, customers who buy fresh produce using SNAP will get 50% off of their fresh fruits and vegetables purchase.  

Our Community Grocery Store Photo Credit: Chase Barnes Good Food Bucks Communications and Outreach Associate

This year, Our Community Grocery Store plans to expand their food and nutrition security programming by growing their veggie box delivery service. Currently, seniors and people with disabilities can order veggie boxes from Our Community Grocery and have them delivered straight to their door. This service is being run in collaboration with Urban Agriculture Cooperative, who will be sourcing and packing the boxes. 

Later this year, the service will roll out to the rest of the community. Families who use SNAP will get a discount on the delivery service and receive a Good Food Bucks discount on their produce. This program is transformative for the Clinton Hill neighborhood because it improves accessibility for people who may not be able to get to the store and brings dignity to the shopping experience. 

To learn more check their instagram page! 

Another community-focused program offered at Our Community Grocery Store is the membership program. A paid membership offers discounts on groceries and smoothies, free bags of groceries or produce, and early access to events throughout the year. Seniors and people with disabilities are offered  the membership at a discounted rate.  In the coming months, Our Community Grocery Store plans to continue expanding its programming, they hope to host food drives, pop up promotional events, and skill-building classes for students to learn nutrition, sewing, cooking and more. 

We are so happy to have Our Community Grocery Store in the Good Food Bucks program and look forward to our continued partnership!

For more information about Our Community Grocery Store and Clinton Hill Community Action, click these links!

Clinton Hill Community Action

Address: 393 Hawthorne Ave, Newark

Operating Hours : Monday-Saturday 8:00am-7:00pm, Sunday: Closed