REP. BIZZARRO: Gordon’s Butcher & Market to receive $350,000 Fresh Food Financing grant

ERIE, Sept. 17 – State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro said he is thrilled to announce Gordon’s Butcher Market is set to receive $350,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative.

The FFFI is a statewide public-private financing program investing in new or expanding grocery and healthy food retail outlets in Pennsylvania, especially those serving low-income communities. Gordon’s Butcher & Market is one of 115 recipients selected statewide.

“Gordon’s has been vital to several in our community by providing access to quality meat, produce, dairy and essential supplies. Even during this pandemic, they’ve continued to supply essential, high quality life-sustaining goods and services to all in our community safely,” said Bizzarro.

Gordon’s announced the grant on the market’s Instagram account saying, “We cannot thank Ryan Bizzarro enough for his efforts on helping us attain this initiative and we promise the investment will be so amazing for the area and everyone in the neighborhood.”

Gordon’s Butcher & Market will use the grant to expand and improve their footprint in a struggling underserved local market, expanding the store into a boutique market called “Gordon’s South Market” offering affordable high-quality meats, seafood, produce, and essential goods.

“Having access to quality foods is a pillar of a healthy relationship with food and good health. Providing healthy food options to communities of all income levels is important for public health efforts and our local economy,” Bizzarro explained. “I am proud to have advocated for Gordon’s Butcher & Market for this grant funding and look forward to seeing how they continue to serve our community.”

The FFFI was funded at $10 million through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and opened in July to for-profit, nonprofit, or cooperative entities including grocery stores, corner stores, convenience stores, neighborhood markets, bodegas, food hubs, mobile markets, farmers markets, on-farm markets, urban farms, and food aggregation centers with a direct connection to direct-to-consumer retail outlets.

Gordon’s Butcher & Market was founded in Erie in 1980 and is currently operated by the Bohrer and Markley families.

*release updated to reflect corrected, approved amount