Community News
Community news for Grant Street is a way of keeping neighbors informed about what’s happening in and around our neighborhood—projects, events, decisions, and opportunities that impact our shared life together. It helps us stay connected, build trust, and make sure everyone has access to what they need to participate in shaping the future of our community.
Featured in The News & Observer for Grocery Store Advocacy
Grant Street Community’s advocacy for equitable food access and a Black-owned grocery store in historic Hayti was recently featured in The News & Observer—marking the second major news feature highlighting the neighborhood’s growing campaign. The story explores how residents are working to turn research, visibility, and community knowledge into meaningful investment and lasting change.
Meeting with Maggie Kane, Founder of A Place at the Table
Just days after Grant Street residents voted to explore a future Boys & Girls Club centered on food, hospitality, and support for our unhoused neighbors, we sat down with Maggie Kane, founder of Raleigh's nationally recognized A Place at the Table. Her insights affirmed much of what our neighborhood envisioned while offering practical lessons about creating a pay-what-you-can café, building community through dignity and belonging, and partnering across sectors to make this kind of vision sustainable. Here's what we learned—and how it may shape the future of 808 E. Pettigrew Street.
Grant Street Community Featured in The New York Times and Duke Media
Grant Street Community is receiving national attention. This Monday, The New York Times will publish a story featuring our neighborhood's partnership with Dr. Lawrence David and the Edible Atlas research team, highlighting how community-led research is strengthening the case for bringing a grocery store back to Hayti. We also recently spoke with Duke Media about how research can move beyond the university and create meaningful change at the neighborhood level.
Garden Funding Received & Expansion Conversations Underway
The Grant Street Community Garden has reached an exciting milestone. With funding now in hand from the City of Durham, planning is officially underway for garden beds, soil testing, water access, and volunteer workdays. We're also exploring the possibility of expanding onto the neighboring lot to grow more food and create a vibrant gathering space for the community. Read the latest updates and see what's coming next.
Community Update: Building the Coalition Behind Hayti's Future Grocery Store
Behind every major community project are countless conversations that most people never see. In this update, we share our recent phone call with Villages of Hayti developer James Montague, along with new partnerships and ideas emerging from conversations with Duke University, Durham CAN, Black Farmers' Market, and Tall Grass Food Box as we continue organizing around Hayti's future neighborhood grocery store.
A Conversation with The New York Times: When Research Is Done With Community
Grant Street Community recently sat down with The New York Times to discuss an innovative partnership with Duke University's wastewater research team and how community-driven research can help advance food justice, public health, and neighborhood development in Hayti.
The conversation explored a larger question: How can research move beyond simply studying neighborhoods to genuinely serving them? Read how trust, collaboration, and a shared vision are helping shape a new model of community-led research in Durham.
Building Partnerships for a Community-Centered Neighborhood Grocery Store
Grant Street Community recently met with Black Farmers' Market founder JaNell Henry to explore how neighborhood organizations, researchers, and community leaders can work together to bring a community-centered grocery store to the Villages of Hayti.
The conversation focused on strengthening Black food systems, supporting local farmers, identifying funding opportunities, and building the partnerships needed to ensure future development reflects the needs and vision of the Hayti community.
Community Garden Update
The Grant Street Community Garden has reached another exciting milestone! After completing the required City of Durham grant orientation, we're one step closer to breaking ground on a shared space where neighbors can gather, grow fresh food, and strengthen community.
With funding on the way and volunteer leadership in place, construction will begin soon. Read the latest update and see what's next for the garden project.
New Partnerships Support Grocery Store Vision for Villages of Hayti
On June 2, 2026, members of the Grant Street Community met with researchers from Duke University and leaders from Durham CAN (Durham Congregations, Associations, and Neighborhoods) to explore opportunities for strengthening food access, improving community health, and advancing efforts to bring an affordable grocery store back to the Hayti neighborhood.
The First Sketch for the Grant Street Community Garden
Together, the community has shared ideas, stories, hopes, memories, and practical needs for the space — intentionally centering residential input from the people who live, worship, gather, and have deep roots in this neighborhood. Those conversations are now beginning to take shape in the form of our first draft sketch for the Grant Street Community Garden, a project being developed in partnership with Monument of Faith Church.
Research, Relationships, and the Future of Food Access on Grant Street
On April 29th, Grant Street Community and BLK South had the opportunity to meet with a research team connected to Duke University, including researchers working on emerging data related to food access, neighborhood health, and community food environments. The conversation centered around the ongoing advocacy efforts connected to the proposed grocery store at the Villages of Hayti development and the current estimated $6 million funding gap preventing the grocery component from moving forward.
Grocery Store Opportunity In Hayti ($6M Gap)
On March 13, 2026, a couple of neighbors from the Grant Street Community had the opportunity to meet with Gerald Taylor, who is overseeing Phase I of the Villages of Hayti development along Grant Street and Umstead. During our conversation, he shared both progress and a key challenge: there is currently a $6 million funding gap preventing the inclusion of a grocery store on the west side of the development.