Edward Logan Jr. had a routine. Every day, the 68-year-old resident of Camden, NJ, walked down the block from his apartment to Ferry Avenue Market for lottery tickets and groceries. But when he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2014, Edward knew he had to make some changes. “I wanted to eat healthier,” Edward says, but he didn’t know how.

Ferry Avenue Market is one of 50 Camden stores enrolled in The Food Trust’s national Healthy Corner Store Initiative, and one of 10 Camden stores involved in its Hearts Smart program. These projects assist corner store owners who want to stock healthier foods and educate their customers about these new options. “I needed to be shown healthier foods to fix,” says Edward, who lives alone. Although his family is close by, Edward says, “I have to take care of myself, so I'm not going to depend on them to come cook for me.”

Shortly after his diagnosis, Edward met two of The Food Trust’s Heart Smarts educators, who were conducting a nutrition education class at the Ferry Avenue Market. They offered him a sample of the black bean salsa they were preparing and gave him $4 in Heart Bucks, to make healthy purchases at the store. For Edward, it was an important first step toward a healthier lifestyle.

Edward still walks to Ferry Avenue Market every day. “I’m losing weight,” says Edward, who credits Heart Smarts with helping him find healthy foods he enjoyed. “My blood pressure is down. My cholesterol is good.”

“I still love my spaghetti and meatballs,” he admits, “but I eat it in moderation and I have changed the hamburger to chicken or turkey.”