Green Grocer Program marks second ribbon cutting this year as Micah’s Market brings affordable fresh food to Crary/St Marys neighborhood

•        Jacqueline Cook opens Micah’s Market, on her birthday, turning years of community food giveaways into a full neighborhood grocery offering fresh produce, dairy, meat and pantry staples at prices families can afford

•        Opening marks the second Green Grocer Program ribbon cutting this year and the second since the program relaunched in 2024

•        Owner Jacqueline Cook received a $25,000 Green Grocer grant for refrigeration, shelving, flooring, signage and initial inventory, opening her doors in four months instead of six months as expected

•        Cook is hiring teens from the neighborhood to staff the store, continuing her longtime work mentoring local youth toward entrepreneurship

•        Program generated more than $50 million in investment during its first phase (2010-2017), supporting over 40 grocery businesses and creating 115 jobs across 14 stores

JUNE 11, 2026 (DETROIT) – The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) and City leaders joined Detroiter Jacqueline Cook today, on her birthday, to celebrate the opening of Micah’s Market, the second Green Grocer Program ribbon cutting this year and the second since the program relaunched in 2024. Cook received a $25,000 grant to turn her longtime community food work into a full neighborhood grocery offering fresh produce, dairy, meat and pantry staples at prices families can afford.

Pantry work grows into neighborhood grocery

Cook has spent years feeding her neighbors out of her own building, passing out food every Thursday and Friday with support from Gleaners, community fundraisers and her own funds. That work runs through Micah Nevah Nonprofit Org., which Cook registered in 2009. The organization works to make mental health a community priority and connect residents to the resources they need to reach their best well-being. Its programs include wellness counseling and a Lunch on Us effort that supplies food to a dozen partner sites across the city.

Micah’s Market, at 15924 Fenkell Ave. in the Crary/St Marys neighborhood, grew out of that mission. Cook sits between two liquor stores, and the nearest grocery store is a few miles up the road, where milk can run close to $5 a gallon. She built the market to give families a place they can walk to and afford.

“We have a food crisis in this city. It is an epidemic,” said Cook. “I have been feeding people two days a week for years, and now I can serve them seven.”

A name built on strength

The market, the nonprofit and Cook’s wellness work all carry one name. Micah was her foster daughter, placed with her at two weeks old and raised for four years. Micah was born with a cleft palate and no top lip, and Cook says the girl showed her a kind of strength she had never seen.

“I named everything after Micah because she is the strongest person I know,” said Cook. “That is what I want this market to stand for. Strength, and a community that takes care of its own.”

Green Grocer Program helps Micah’s Market open

Cook saw television coverage of the Green Grocer Program’s first ribbon cutting in February, took down every detail and applied. A few months later she became the program’s second recipient since the relaunch. She used the $25,000 grant to buy refrigeration and shelving, paint and lay flooring, install signage and stock her first round of groceries, opening in four months rather than the six months she expected.

Sheffield announced during her State of the City address that six stores supported by the Green Grocer Program are expected to open in 2026, including Micah’s Market.

“Jacqueline has been feeding her neighbors out of her own building for years, long before any of us showed up with a ribbon,” said Sheffield prior to the event. “That is the kind of leader the Green Grocer Program was built to back. Every Detroit neighborhood deserves a place like this within walking distance.”

Micah’s Market stocks bread, eggs, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables, beef, turkey, pork and plant-based options such as almond and coconut milk, alongside harder-to-find items like dragon fruit that residents would otherwise drive across town to buy. The store plans to accept EBT, runs a Free Bread Monday and partners with local vendors including Motor City Match recipient Mama G’s, Spud Headz and Saad Wholesale Meats. Cook keeps a microwave on hand so neighbors without a kitchen can warm a meal on the spot.

“Small grocers like this are economic development, not a consolation prize for neighborhoods that lost their big stores,” said Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. “Jacqueline turned a modest grant into jobs for teens, sales for local suppliers and fresh food right in the neighborhood.”

The market will hire six teens from the neighborhood, continuing Cook’s longtime work mentoring local youth toward entrepreneurship. Hours run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, with shorter Sunday hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“You expect one thing and God sets up something bigger,” Cook said. “I went looking for a little help, and I ended up opening a store that can feed this community every day. Doing it on my birthday is the best gift I could ask for.”

Green Grocer’s track record and return

Green Grocer launched in 2010 and ran until 2017, when funding limitations forced a pause. The program strengthened Detroit’s grocery sector during those years by supporting neighborhood grocers and widening access to fresh, healthy food. It helped generate more than $50 million in investment during its first phase, provided over $1 million in facade and technical assistance funding and loan financing to more than 40 Detroit grocery businesses and supported 115 jobs across 14 stores.

Coleman A. Young II, Detroit City Council President Pro Tempore At-Large, championed the relaunch and secured funding to bring the program back in 2024 after a seven-year hiatus.

The DEGC manages the Green Grocer Program in partnership with the City of Detroit. The program prioritizes small-format grocery stores, hybrid food concepts and convenience retailers that expand access to fresh and healthy food close to where residents live.

Interested businesses can learn more about the Green Grocer Program and small business resources at www.degc.org/greengrocer.

About Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC):

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation is a non-profit organization that serves as Detroit’s lead implementing agency for business retention, attraction and economic development. DEGC is led by a board comprised of business, civic and community leaders. Its staff provides services for key public authorities that facilitate incentives and other forms of financing for projects that bring new jobs and investment to the City. DEGC also manages important initiatives to support small businesses and grow neighborhood commercial corridors. DEGC is dedicated to inclusive development and access to economic opportunity.