25 Weeks of Gratitude: Essie Williams

A little bit of farm-fresh goodness, one block from home

Chip Bayer

For Essie Williams, the Green Groceries program is more than a place to pick up fruits, vegetables and eggs. It is a source of comfort, convenience and better health just one block from where she lives in downtown Little Rock.

Essie, who has been participating in the program for about two years, lives across the street from Christ Episcopal Church, where Green Groceries is offered – close enough to walk over when the bi-monthly fresh-food market opens. That closeness matters because the nearest grocery store is several blocks away.

“It’s convenient for me to come here instead of trying to get to the grocery store because I don’t have a vehicle,” Essie said. “I’m really close.”

Two Tuesdays a month, approved participants come to Green Groceries to receive a full bag of fresh food and choose from available fruits and vegetables, according to Emily Sutterfield, the director of Green Groceries.

Originally the program was started by members of the church who enjoyed going to farmers markets and saw a need for everyone to have access to fresh food from local farmers. It wasn’t long before the scope of the need was realized.

“People from downtown would drop in and want to be part of it,” said Emily, “but it’s expensive. So, we tried to figure out if there’s a way for us to do this for people that can’t afford it, but who really want to eat healthy foods.”

From that the Green Groceries program was born and now serves people who may not otherwise have access to fresh foods. And in Essie, Emily sees exactly the kind of participant the program is meant to support.

Essie had a stroke in 2021, which affected her left side and left her weaker than before. After that, eating differently became essential. She said her stroke was connected to high blood pressure. Fresh produce has become part of how she takes care of herself.

“This is very important,” Essie said. “I can’t have salt. I can’t have fried food. I can’t eat out at restaurants. And I can’t eat foods that are high in sodium. So, I’m trying to watch what I take in. This food is just what I need – the vegetables, the fruit, that’s what I need.”

Emily described Essie as appreciative, consistent and joyful.

“I just love when I see her,” she said. “She comes over with her walker, fills it with food and later shares what she made and how the food helps her health.”

Emily said grants like the one they received from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas are essential to keeping Green Groceries going because they help the program reliably provide full grocery bags for participants instead of depending only on uncertain donations.

“It’s so important. It is so important,” Emily said. “I’m able –  without worrying about it – to purchase full bags of groceries for each person every single time.”

For Essie, that support shows up in a practical and personal way: fresh food available twice a month, close enough to reach on foot, and consistent enough that she knows she can count on it.

Without Green Groceries, Essie said she would have to walk to Edwards Food on Main Street, approximately seven blocks from where she lives, or pay someone to take her to the store.

“This means a lot to me,” Essie said. “It keeps me from having to worry about where I’m going to get my fruits and my vegetables. I know I can come here every month and get as much as I need here versus going to the grocery store.”

She has also noticed changes in her health since she started eating more of the fruits and vegetables she receives through the program.

“I feel a lot better. I really do,” she said. “I feel good. I do. I feel really good now. And I can tell the change in my weight and the energy that I have now. I’ve got more energy now.”

Essie also shares what she has found with others in her building. When neighbors ask where she gets her fruits and vegetables, she tells them about the church across the street and the waiting list for Green Groceries. She has even picked up an application for another woman in her building who also had a stroke.

“People in my building always ask, ‘Where are you coming from with all that?’” Essie said. “I said, ‘I’m coming from Green Groceries.’”

The program also connects Essie to something familiar from her childhood. She grew up in Weldon, Arkansas, on the outskirts of Newport, where her father was a farmer. Later, she lived in Augusta, where she raised her children. Those roots shaped how she thinks about food, land and home.

“I’m from the old country,” Essie said. “I’m a country girl.”

Through Green Groceries, a little of that farm-fresh goodness now comes to her in downtown Little Rock.

Emily said Green Groceries is about more than food; it is also about relationships and helping participants know people care.

“I think knowing that we care — that’s a big thing,” Emily said.

For Essie, Green Groceries is not only about food. It is about health, dignity, encouragement and being welcomed by people who know her by name.

“Everybody is loving and kind,” Essie said. “Everybody’s nice, very nice. Miss Emily, she always greets me with a hug.”

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Blue & You Foundation, 25 Weeks of Gratitude spotlights 25 stories of Arkansans whose lives have been impacted by Foundation-funded work.

*The Blue & You Foundation was established in 2001 through an initial gift from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Since its inception, the Foundation’s financial base has grown through wise and prudent investment strategies. This has enabled the foundation to support its mission by making grants funded by the interest earned on those investments.