We’re breaking ground!

partner with us to create a healthier food system for all chattanoogans

We’re moving — and we need your help!

Contact our Founder and Executive Director Holly at hmartin@thegainingground.org to learn how you can support the movement for a healthier Chattanooga.

Check out this webpage for updates on our progress.

our story

Gaining Ground is more than just a grocery store. We seek to make nutritious food affordable to all in Chattanooga.

We do this by:

  • Bringing produce, dairy, eggs, meat, and more 30+ local farmers and growers to our store, where customers have the flexibility to shop four days a week, compared to the limited days and hours of a farmer’s market;

  • Intentionally operating our store in an area of need — a neighborhood otherwise classified as a food desert where a large percentage of the population faces health disparities;

  • Community nutrition outreach and education;

  • Operating Double Up Food Bucks, a nutrition incentive program which matches SNAP purchases dollar-for-dollar up to $20 per person per day to help low-income families and individuals buy fresh, locally sourced foods

our vision

We’ll be restoring 901 Dodds to its glory days — rumor has it that it was once a small grocery store! In addition to offering us the space to maintain a larger grocery operation and office space for staff, the new location will eventually host a:

  • Pollinator garden

  • Community pocket park

  • Freestanding teaching and production kitchen

Help us make this move a reality!

Why we’re building A Permanent Home

Gaining Ground opened in early 2020 and sales have only continued to increase year after year, with 33% growth in the most recent year alone. The community’s demand for local food has outgrown our capacity to deliver in our current 500-square foot space in the St. Andrews Center. Moving to 901 Dodds will allow us to double the grocery’s size and create a community meeting/teaching space and staff offices.

Contribute to the campaign ⟶

the need is palpable

Both our current and new location are located in the 37404 zip code, where 24.0% of residents live in poverty — nearly double Hamilton County's overall poverty rate of 12.7%, and one of only seven zip codes countywide above 20%.

  • 38,000+ Hamilton County residents face food insecurity — which is over 10% of the population — and more than half of them earn slightly too much to qualify for SNAP benefits, leaving them with no safety net to provide food for their families

  • 13% of Hamilton County residents have limited access to healthy food, compared to 9% statewide and just 6% nationally.

  • 11.1% / 35% of Hamilton County adults live with diabetes or obesity, respectively — both above national rates, with poor nutrition a contributing factor.

Source: Hamilton County Health Department, A Picture of Our Health, 2024.

what your gift makes possible

More grocery space, which results in:

  • Offering greater support to more farmers;

  • Providing a larger variety of locally-sourced foods and products;

  • Expanding our operating dates and hours;

  • A faster and easier shopping experience!

More outdoor and programatic space, which helps us:

  • Open our doors to facilitating community groups and meetings;

  • Host on-site nutrition education classes and demonstrations;

  • Share the importance of local agriculture and the benefits of fostering native plants in the community.

RENO PLANS & PROJECTED COSTS

Phase 1a:

Phase 1B:

Phase 2:

Phase 3:

Full renovation of our grocery store building, including a new HVAC system, the construction of a back loading dock and space for a walk in cooler, new fixtures, an ADA ramp, fire alarm system, and more.

Renovating the second part of the building into our community meeting and office space and transforming the outdoor space to encourage pollinators and expand our Free Food Garden.

Building a new teaching and production kitchen at the back of our property with the intention of maximizing community cooking and nutrition education as well as space for entrepreneurs to prepare food in a kitchen that meets industry standards.

Creating a Building Sustainability Fund that will allow us to pay off our mortgage and grow an endowment — freeing up more of our budget for community programming and safeguarding it from funding gaps like the one we experienced in Summer 2025.

Naming opportunities are available for gifts of $50,000 or more.

We’ve secured $110,000 so far…

Help us raise the remaining $157,000 needed to complete this phase so we can open the grocery in Fall 2026!

With Gratitude for Our Supporters

  • Eleanor Parks

    SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR

  • Karl Holland

    SALES MANAGER

  • Jaya Dixon

    MARKETING DIRECTOR

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We are so glad you asked! You are welcome to make a financial contribution to the campaign, but it is also very helpful to help us spread the word about our project by sharing it. We hope to reach as many community members as possible to help us raise the funds needed for the renovation. If you can share with friends, family, and coworkers about our project, it will bring us closer to opening in the new space.

  • We will have a lot of renovation needs. If you are aware of businesses that may be willing to contribute in-kind services or donate materials, please have them reach out to us.

  • There will be opportunities for volunteering after the major work is done to the building. If you would like to volunteer, please complete this form and we will be in touch.