At a recent health fair held in its parking lot at 56th & Chestnut St. in Philadelphia, The Fresh Grocer offered DJ entertainment, line dancing led by the West Philadelphia YMCA, face painting, health screenings by Health Partners and American Diabetes Association, free healthy snacks and an appearance by the Philadelphia Zoo on Wheels.

Hundreds of West Philadelphia residents attended the June 27 wellness event, “Celebrate the Red, White and Blue with a Healthier You,” among them local notables Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and State Sen. Anthony H. Williams.

“Our children have as good of a chance to die from violence as they do from having high cholesterol,” noted Williams. “We have to start eating healthy and buying fresh fruits and vegetables, and it’s stores like The Fresh Grocer that make these fresh foods available to us.”

The Fresh Grocer, a supermarket chain committed to developing new stores in communities previously overlooked by growing businesses, will open its newest store next month at The Shoppes at LaSalle on Chew Ave in Philadelphia, marking that neighborhood’s first supermarket in over 40 years. A second new store will open at Progress Plaza in December 2009. The company, which provides high-quality perishables in an urban environment, currently operates eight stores in the greater Philadelphia area.

“We are dedicated to providing fresh, healthy and affordable food to our customers and communities,” said Grant McLoughlin, VP of The Fresh Grocer. “This is the first health fair that we have hosted, and we plan to host many more with Health Partners and other non-profits dedicated to improving health awareness.”

“We were able to screen over 100 people, which was a great success,” said Judy Harrington, SVP of Health Partners, a collaboration among seven area hospitals to create a not-for-profit health plan for Philadelphia residents. “We have 150,000 members throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and we want to have 150,000 healthy members.”