Richmond Vincent had just settled into his new role as president of Goodwill’s regional operations when he received a visit from health and human performance professor Liz Ackley.

Backed by neighborhood advocates and plenty of data, Ackley made a bold proposal: build a grocery store in Northwest Roanoke, an underserved community that has spent decades as a food desert without easy access to healthy, affordable food.

The professor, who also directs Roanoke College’s Center for Community Health Innovation, asked Vincent for his help with the bold idea.

“That was the first week I was here,” Vincent recalled with a laugh. No one could have blamed him for bypassing the request. But Ackley’s argument convinced him to take another look.

“It was her passion,” he reflected. “She brought data to the table. And the data said this community needed a grocery store. It deserves a grocery store.”

On Nov. 13 — three years after Vincent and Ackley met, nine years after Ackley and a diverse team in the community began their research, and more than two decades after neighbors began calling for a store alimentary – the community came together to celebrate a long-awaited victory: The Market on Melrose it was now open.

“This literally means the world to me,” Ackley said with tears in her eyes as she stood to address the crowd of hundreds who came for the market’s ribbon cutting — including a line of eager shoppers wrapped around the building who were waiting to be the first customers.

“This is not just about making healthy, affordable food more accessible,” she said. “This is about creating access to a basic resource that every thriving community deserves.”

The journey that led to the ribbon cutting began in 2015, when Ackley’s center and a team of government leaders, nonprofits and businesses came together to become part of the national organization. Invest Health Initiative and develop transformative solutions to community health inequities. Decades of community data were analyzed and the largest ever survey of Northwest Roanoke was launched.

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The public’s plea for a grocery store prompted extensive market research, wholesale outreach and development planning. The vision expanded to include a wellness clinic, a bank and an adult learning center – a true community hub.

In 2021, Roanoke City committed $10 million federal pandemic relief funds to the project. Goodwill Industries of the Valleys has stepped up to manage development and build the new center at its Melrose Avenue location, a site that also features a public library and will be the future home of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture.

Throughout the project, Ackley and her center have been instrumental, tirelessly researching, advocating and organizing on behalf of the neighborhood’s dream. Twenty-two student researchers from Roanoke College assisted the work at various stages.

Emma Duff ’19 just accepted a new job with the Virginia Department of Health, where she will support health assessment initiatives in local communities, a role that ties directly to the skills she learned as a research assistant for Ackley.

The chance to be part of a project that creates real change on the ground was an invaluable opportunity as a student, Duff said.

“That’s part of the beauty of Roanoke College. It’s an immersive community,” she said. “Liz is a wonderful teacher and has shown us by example what it means to be a change agent in the community. Her passion and tenacity were inspiring.”

During the ribbon cutting, Ackley received a ceremonial key to the Square on Melrose, symbolizing the key role he played in bringing the project to fruition. In her remarks, she marveled at the broad coalition that came together to get to this point: elected officials, city planners, community organizers, business leaders, educators, health care providers and hundreds of neighborhood residents.

“It is unusual for an academic institution to lead community development efforts of this magnitude, and I have to thank my former and current administrative leaders (at Roanoke College),” she said. “Thank you for saying yes to innovation, for being open and willing to invest in collaborations that benefit our community as much as they do for our students and faculty, and for supporting me in my role at the Center for Innovation in Community Health. ”

The market on Melrose illustrates the heights that can be achieved when dedicated and courageous people come together to face challenges, Ackley added. Already, community partners are looking forward to what’s to come, including the opening of the wellness clinic and adult learning center next year.

Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea described it as a transformative moment for the city.

“Today, as we cut the ribbon, we’re opening more than just a market,” he said. “We open the doors of opportunity, to help and to hope.”