BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's 18 months later, and residents' responses are still the same.
"It's like an inconvenience if you have to go all the way across town," one East Side resident said.
Added another East Side resident, "Groceries are too high, and the people that run it aren't right."
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand came to the Delavan Grider Community Center on Friday to announce her plan to double funding in the Healthy Food Financial Initiative. The funding will go from $25 million to $50 million.
It's a federally funded program offering incentives to grocery stores to sell fresh foods in underserved areas. It's in the Farm Bill.
The Farm Bill is negotiated every five years, and it will be discussed again at the end of this Congress.
"I want to talk about how important food is for the well-being of our families, for the well-being of the community," Gillibrand said.
It's a goal that is fueled by the May 14 tragedy. It cost 10 Black people their lives.
2 On Your Side's Keelin Berrian had the chance to ask Senator Gillibrand tough questions.
Berrian: Why did it take for something as extreme as 10 Black people getting killed to jump-start this initiative?
Gillibrand: We've been working on it before then. That's how Tops got here. One store isn't enough for the large populations in this area, and if you don't have a car, you can't even get to that Tops. The point of the murders is that it exacerbated an already problematic condition.
However, you can go just a little out of Elmwood Village and come across a Wegmans. A mile away is a Tops.
We asked Gillibrand why is it tough to get another store to the East Side, to which Gillibrand said retailers fear they will not make any money.
Berrian: There's things like the WIC program and food stamps. Are they not fond of those things? Does it not help out?
Gillibrand: I think so. It's just money on an EBT card. They want money.
It is true that in East Buffalo, The Broadway Market sits across from an Aldi, but that's nearly two and a half miles from Tops on Jefferson.
"This money you have to pass it. It's not a great deal of money on the grand scheme of agricultural policy, but it goes a long way," Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand said Aldi is not opposed to adding another location to the East Side. Local leaders are working with corner stores to get fresh foods.
If Congress fails to pass the bill, those leaders will then push those small markets to apply for loans to get fresh foods and the coolers needed to keep them fresh.