The Publix in the Gateway Town Center is scheduled to permanently close Saturday and begin its transition to a new Winn-Dixie.
Councilman Reginald Gaffney said residents in the area can still get groceries during the transition.
“Winn-Dixie has decided starting January the eighth, to provide food for the first 300 people every weekend before they open up," Gaffney said. "Free food for anybody who will be hungry and live in the food desert. Free food for anybody who will be hungry and live in the food desert.”
Gaffney said the free food will be distributed on Saturdays until Winn-Dixie’s opening, but a time has not yet been finalized and more details are to come.
Winn-Dixie will be donating healthy and fresh foods to sustain the community until its grand opening, he said.
“It’s going to help a good substantial amount,” said Cathy Owens, a Publix customer. “Anything that’s free, it will help the community as a whole.”
Gaffney has been concerned about his community since he heard Publix would be closing and did everything he could to make sure his people were taken care of. Gaffney said Winn-Dixie has exceeded even his expectations.
“I had planned on doing it once a month,” he said. “And they said, ‘Councilman Gaffney, we can do one better. We’ll do it every weekend until we open.’”
The new store is aiming to be opened within 90 days, Gaffney said.
James Goldsmith with the Gateway Town Center says we can expect major renovations before the store’s opening.
“Come the next two or three months, it’s not going to look like a used store, but like a brand-new store,” Gaffney said. “That’s the image that they want to present to us.”