Loss of Fred Meyer will create a food desert

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 29, 2025

I am appalled and deeply saddened by the news of the closing of Fred Meyer on Evergreen and Casino Road (“Kroger said theft a reason for Everett Fred Meyer closure; numbers say different,” The Herald, Aug.21). I shopped at Fred Meyer for many years and then stopped for a while when the area did not feel safe. I was happy to return about six months ago when I realized that the parking lot had returned to its safe condition. Even the inside of the store was greatly improved and could compete with any other quality grocery.

As a volunteer in the ESL classes Everett Community College offers at Village on Casino, I have had the opportunity to meet many of the families who live in apartments along Casino Road. They are hard-working good people, many struggling to make ends meet. Many folks do not have cars. If you walk along Casino, you will see people waiting a bus stops or carrying their groceries home; often quite a distance. Once Fred Meyer closes, this area will be a food desert. There will be no place within a reasonable walking distance to buy groceries and the other items sold at Fred Meyer. This is an absolute disgrace for Everett. If the store was losing money due to theft, Everett police have the responsibility to work with the store to change this situation. It just seems like the rich are becoming richer and don’t care that they leave so many behind. We should be a community who cares that everyone has at least the basics they need.

I also see the writing on the wall. When plans to bring the Link to Everett, will Casino again be the zone to suffer?

Marilyn Jacobson

Mukilteo