With Walmart shuttered, international stores and nonprofits fill Aurora’s grocery gap
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AURORA — Wednesdays mean one thing for Bhim Bhattarai: prepare the food pantry for 900 families.
“We’re trying to provide as much as we can to feed families for a week,” said Bhattarai, pantry program manager at the Village Exchange Center. “Many people in Northwest Aurora really depend on our pantry for the food.”
Since the closure of the Walmart Neighborhood Market in June 2024, cultural grocery stores and food pantries have been filling the food gap for many residents in the neighborhood.
Approximately two-thirds of the neighborhood's residents reported difficulties accessing food. State-wide, about 11% of Coloradans experience food insecurity due to factors such as rising grocery costs and the lack of nearby grocery stores.
The Walmart Neighborhood Market at 10400 E. Colfax Ave closed because the store didn't meet “financial expectations” according to a press release from the retail behemoth. Negative reviews plagued the store since its opening in 2015, citing dirty conditions, theft, unhelpful staff and other issues.
However, for many residents, the grocery giant served as the only full-service grocery store in the neighborhood. There’s now a six-mile stretch on the East Colfax corridor without a full-service grocery store.
“Since the Walmart closed, many people have to go farther to get their groceries, some people don’t have cars,” said Jamie Baense, who lives in the neighborhood.
Ellie Adelman, who has lived in Northwest Aurora for two years, said food security is a real problem for the neighborhood.
“There are some challenges for sure with accessing a full variety of fresh, healthy foods in the neighborhood,” said Adelman. “Now people have to go farther to get groceries and many people rely on public transportation — that also comes with challenges of loading and unloading all your groceries.”
Lowe’s Mercado, a Hispanic grocery store located on the corner of Colfax Avenue and Ironton Street., is now the biggest grocer in the area.
There are many small, locally owned grocery stores scattered throughout the neighborhood, like Makola African Market and Rohingya Asian Grocery.
“The cool and beautiful thing about this neighborhood is that a lot of businesses that have survived here are owned and run by immigrants, and have really shown no sign of closing down,” said Adelman.
These international grocery stores provide many foods and products that patrons wouldn’t find at a big-box grocer, such as hành phi (pre-fried onion/shallots) or hominy (alkali-treated dried corn kernels).
“Our stores provide spices, herbs and foods that feel like home to immigrants and refugees,” said Shofi Alam, who works at Rohingya Asian Grocery located in Mango House.
Northwest Aurora serves a diverse population, including many immigrants and refugees. The nonprofit Village Exchange Center, founded in 2017, provides groceries to refugees and immigrants in Aurora. It serves roughly 3,000 people per week.
“The neighborhood is comprised largely of refugees and immigrants,” said Marcel Narucki, co-founder of Village Exchange Center. “The identity of this community center is reflective to the people that live here.”
Since the beginning of the year, the Village Exchange Center has lost some of its federal funding due to cuts by the Trump Administration.
However, Narucki says the need for the food pantry is at an all-time high. He says people show up no matter the weather because it’s a need for the community. The nonprofit is looking for different partnerships with other sources so that it can continue to operate.
“[Funding cuts] have really made us scramble to find other resources because we’re faced with the everyday needs of this community. That motivates us to find other places for funding and continue the work that we do,” said Narucki.
While the pantry is free, residents must live in the area and make appointments to be able to receive food.
“This is a convenient area where resettlement agencies place newly arrived refugees,” Bhattarai said. “That’s why [Village Exchange Center] is important.”
Born in Bhutan, Bhattarai and his family lived in Nepal as refugees for 22 years before resettling in Northwest Aurora in 2015. Bhattarai said one of the many challenges his family went through when first arriving in Aurora was affording food.
Bhattarai originally visited the organization weekly to pick up groceries for his family when they first arrived.
“Anyone that comes, we’re assuming a need. It’s part of our philosophy to help people get back on their feet and eventually have them contribute to society,” said Narucki.
Bhattarai started to volunteer at the center and, since 2022, has worked full-time managing the food pantry.
The pantry operates with 15 staff members, not including volunteers who stop by to help with food distribution, packaging and delivery.
“We couldn’t do this without the volunteers, they’re integral and we rely on them,” said Narucki.
On Wednesdays, the center is a well-oiled machine. Families and individuals line up outside the center, checking in as they pick up boxes and exit through the back doors. In the main room of the building, volunteers and staff sort through pantry staples and fresh produce, working in an assembly line.
Volunteers and staff fill boxes with beans, rice, milk and even Takis.
Because of the diverse population, the pantry aims to provide culturally relevant foods through its farm at the Stanley Marketplace and through other local markets.
The center has an advisory board with members of the community and meets every two to three months to survey the neighborhood on what foods they want to see in the pantry.
Adelman says that many refugees and immigrants have too much on their plate already when they go to a new country.
“They have to speak another language, read and write, use public transportation,” said Adelman. “At the very least it’s important to provide food that they’re comfortable with, that they know their bodies can tolerate.”
Bhattarai points to products like cilantro, peppers, okra and many others as examples of cultural foods that the pantry tries to provide.
“It’s important that my family and I get to eat the foods that we are accustomed to in my country,” said Ktalina Cubillos in Spanish, an immigrant from Colombia.
Cubillos frequents the Village Exchange Center and started volunteering as well.
“I want to give back. I’ve been in those shoes and we need to understand those needs,” said Cubillos.
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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