ORLANDO, Fla. – Parramore Market, spearheaded by 30-year-old Jeniffer Hilaire, aims to bring groceries closer to neighbors facing food insecurity.
The mini grocery store at 536 N. Westmoreland Drive is set to open in August after The Desire Foundation’s local nonprofit weekly food drives have grown to serve hundreds.
You might have seen Jennifer’s face on a building along West Church Street in Parramore. Now, the founder of The Desire Foundation is working to tackle food insecurity with a new mini grocery store called Parramore Market.
Hilaire says while many people associate Parramore with homelessness, a wide range of residents call the neighborhood home and many don’t have easy access to a grocery store.
Parramore Market is set to open in August. Hilaire obtained ownership after The Desire Foundation partnered with Interstruct Design + Build in 2025. The groups have been hosting food drives every Friday, and Hilaire says the need has surged.
She says the weekly effort grew from serving about 50 to 60 people to about 400 people every Friday, with roughly 30,000 pounds of food gone each time.
Hilaire says those interactions made it clear the community needed more than pop-up support and wanted something permanent nearby.
The market is expected to offer many of the same essentials people find at a traditional grocery store, including dairy, dry goods, household products, fruits and vegetables, milk and eggs, but in a smaller space.
This year, the project got a boost from a $100,000 grant from OBT Next, a community redevelopment agency in Orange County. The money is intended to help renovate and beautify the building and ensure it meets code before opening to the public.
Hilaire started her nonprofit during the COVID-19 pandemic and says the work has always been about meeting needs in real time, not just reaching big numbers.
She says she has been involved in the Parramore community since she was 17, learning people’s stories and needs so she could advocate for them and explain why a market like this matters.
Hilaire says her motivation comes from hustle, determination and faith, and she is now asking the community to help donate $50,000 to stock the shelves in time for the store opening this summer. So far, she says she has raised $15,000 toward that goal.
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