Opening up grocery stores in food deserts may soon become less expensive in the state, as provisions that provide tax incentives for such stores were incorporated into the state budget.
When Patty Allegra-Babcock wants to use her food stamps, she has to cross town borders. She lives in quiet and tree-covered Pomfret, in a part of northeastern Connecticut where there are no stores that accept food stamps.
The nearest grocery store that accepts her benefits is a Walmart, miles east in Putnam. But Allegra-Babcock doesn’t have a car, so she relies on friends and family to drive her around.