COLORADO SPRINGS — The King Soopers on S. Academy Blvd. in Colorado Springs temporarily closed back in June because of asbestos contamination.
Food banks near S. Academy say they were helping more people while the King Soopers store was closed.
One of those food banks was Food to Power, which serves the hillside community. They told News 5 that the number of people who used their no-cost grocery program tripled during this time.
WATCH: LOCAL PANTRIES HOPING TO SEE RELIEF WITH REOPENING OF KING SOOPERS ON S. ACADEMY
With the S. Academy King Soopers now back open, Food to Power says it is relieving the pressure, however, the closure did have a positive impact on them.
"Even with having a grocery store open, groceries are very expensive," said Nayada Moore, a Development Fellow with Food to Power. "So, to still have access to Food to Power I think is still amazing because you can still save money."
Food to Power says the biggest struggle people had was finding another place to get food during the closure. They say people in that area rely on public transportation or don't have any transportation at all.
The nonprofit has been serving the community for the last 10 years.
WATCH: FOOD TO POWER CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN COLORADO SPRINGS
To learn more about the nonprofit, visit the Food to Power Website.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
