美国国家公共电台 NPR Salvation Army Opens Its First-Ever Supermarket, In Baltimore

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

City leaders in Baltimore estimate that nearly a quarter of people there lack access to healthy food. Many go to mini-marts for groceries where prices can be high and fresh produce scarce. Now the Salvation¹ Army is trying to fill the gap. The nonprofit is opening its first grocery store in an East Baltimore neighborhood with few other choices. From member station WYPR, Dominique Maria Bonessi reports.

DOMINIQUE MARIA BONESSI, BYLINE²: Lawrence Pollard and his wife Faith are shopping at the nonprofit grocery store in East Baltimore for their first time. The store is called DMG Foods. That stands for the Salvation Army's motto - doing the most good.

LAWRENCE POLLARD: So far, so good. It's a clean place.

BONESSI: The 7,000-square-foot space looks like your average grocery store. The couple admires the stacks of fresh-looking asparagus, juicy gala apples and a variety of lettuce³. Lawrence clutches a paper with the store's weekly deals.

L. POLLARD: I see a couple deals already - especially on the fruits and the salads.

BONESSI: Now, many grocery stores boast and brag⁴ about having the lowest prices. But the milk, eggs, butter and canned tuna at DMG are 50 cents to $3 cheaper than the nearest chain grocery store.

GENE⁵ HOGG: Our business is not really selling food.

BONESSI: That's Major Gene Hogg, the Salvation Army's commander in central Maryland. While the store caters⁶ to beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, he says anyone can shop here.

HOGG: What we're in the business of doing is helping⁷ and loving people. And the qualifications to shop here is to walk in the door.

BONESSI: Some of the nonperishable food is donated by Maryland's Food Bank while produce is bought from a large distributor. Since they opened a couple weeks ago, Hogg says business so far is good.

HOGG: There's room that we have to grow and because - what I've learned in the grocery store business - that margin⁸ is about how many people actually come out and shop.

BONESSI: The store has already met its goal - averaging 300 paying customers per day. Hogg says to entice⁹ more customers each week, there are free items for SNAP beneficiaries. This week the store is giving out 10-pound bags of chicken. Hogg says if the store makes enough profit, proceeds can go to Salvation Army's home for survivors¹⁰ of human trafficking.

HOGG: So not only are you just coming and shopping and meeting your needs for your household, but you actually in the end could be helping someone who's been rescued from human trafficking.

BONESSI: Over at the cash register, Lawrence and Faith Pollard are ready to check out. They leave the store clutching three full grocery bags. They've only spent about $17, and Faith examines her receipt with a smile.

FAITH POLLARD: I can't wait to come back to see if we get a free chicken.

BONESSI: If this nonprofit model is successful, Hogg says the Salvation Army may be able to expand to other parts of Baltimore. And if that works out, they hope to open in more areas across the country. For NPR News, I'm Dominique Maria Bonessi in Baltimore.

(SOUNDBITE OF ATMOSPHERE SONG, "I LOVE YOU LIKE A BROTHER")

1 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

4 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。

5 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

6 caters   

提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
• The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

9 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

10 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者