East Biloxi Food Market – CEO (Community Empowerment Organization) began as a project driven by local people to open a cooperative grocery, owned and governed by the community–an urgent need in a neighborhood the Department of Agriculture considers a food desert. After a 2019 community needs assessment identified food access as residents’ top priority—and following years of unsuccessful attempts to attract chain grocers—local leaders created their own solution. EBFM-CEO strives to bring healthy, locally sourced food and products to the community, working with local farmers and small businesses to grow together and create a healthy, sustainable, and vibrant East Biloxi. Today, EBFM-CEO’s mission extends beyond groceries to foster food sovereignty, strengthen local food systems, and protect environmental justice through clean water initiatives. The organization incubates minority-owned businesses, provides nutrition education to low-income residents, and advocates for safe, affordable housing. By addressing interconnected challenges facing East Biloxi’s communities of color, EBFM-CEO is building resilience, health, and economic opportunity from the ground up.
A member-owner gathering at Adele’s Cafe, Biloxi.
Founded by local resident Jeff Moore Jr. in 2020, this grassroots initiative began with a simple vision: bringing groceries to a neighborhood that lacked fresh food since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005. With one part-time staff and a 5-person board composed predominantly of people of color, In 2024, EBFM-CEO expanded its mission, becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to address complex overlapping issues beyond food access across coastal Mississippi. As leaders of the first-of-its-kind State Organizing Committee, they coordinate with 28 frontline groups across the state, tackling issues from water infrastructure crises from Jackson’s contaminated drinking water to coastal flooding vulnerability. Their approach mobilizes residents through education, coalition-building, and advocacy campaigns, creating a model for sustainable, cooperative community development in low-income communities of color. EBFM-CEO reflects the community it serves: low-income residents who want to safely live and thrive in their vulnerable Gulf Coast home, where minority-owned businesses flourish and the community enjoys equitable access to clean water, wholesome foods, and affordable, healthy housing.