Fairmount Heights library opens free grocery store for families

Families in Fairmount Heights can now pick up free groceries inside their neighborhood library, a shift Prince George’s County leaders say is meant to make food assistance easier to reach and less intimidating for people who need it most. The Fairmount Five Market opened Thursday inside the Fairmount Heights Branch Library, 5904 Kolb St., as county officials and Goodr launched a model that lets residents “shop” for groceries instead of waiting in a traditional pantry line.

The market opened on World Hunger Day and was scheduled to mark the occasion with a grand opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m. It is expected to serve 175 families each week, a scale that county leaders are betting can meet demand in an area they have described as a food desert. WTOP reported that the store already had a waiting list, a sign of how quickly the service has drawn interest in a community where rising prices, job losses and other financial strain have made it harder for households to stay stocked.

The opening also marks a milestone for Goodr, the hunger-relief company that partnered with Prince George’s County on the project. WTOP reported that this is Goodr’s first permanent store inside a library and its first location in the Washington, D.C. area. Goodr says it handles the planning, building and restocking of its grocery stores and can provide fresh produce, milk, eggs, shelf-stable items and beverages at no cost. The company says it has opened 34 similar stores nationwide since 2021.

The setting is what makes the Fairmount Five Market stand out. Instead of placing the food program in a warehouse or stand-alone pantry, the county put it inside a public library, tying basic needs to a place many residents already know and trust. County material says the setup is intended to reduce the stigma often attached to free food distribution, while still giving families a practical place to get help.

District 5 Councilmember Shayla Adams-Stafford, whose district includes Fairmount Heights, has said the need has grown more urgent as more residents face layoffs or other financial stress that pushes them toward food assistance for the first time. The broader need is clear in the numbers: the Capital Area Food Bank’s 2025 hunger reporting put food insecurity in Prince George’s County at 49%. By turning the Fairmount Heights library into a grocery access point, county leaders are testing a model they hope can be both dignified and scalable.