BATON ROUGE - Hundreds of people showed up for the grand opening of the Scotlandville Bodega on Saturday.

Scotlandville is one of many areas throughout the state that suffers from food insecurity. Lack of transportation is a major reason people in the area can't get fresh meats and fresh produce.

"This is part of the equation of closing that grocery gap," Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said.

Members of the community have longed for a grocery store nearby that they could buy groceries from. With this bodega, they can access those groceries that are just minutes away from home.

Others in the community say this building is a major inspiration to them. It's important to see those who grew up in the community give back to where they came from.

That was more than enough for owners Michael and Kenya Byrd. Once you pass Evangeline, there aren't many options for nutritious foods. The Byrds changed that with the Scotlandville Bodega.

Kenya Byrd is also a teacher at Scotlandville High School. She says many of her students ask for treats all the time. She brings them fruits and snacks when she can, but one day, she decided she wanted to give them something new.

"I wanted to introduce them to something different," Byrd said. "Green beans. One day, I cooked that at school and the kids were like, 'When are we going to get some more greens?'"

It's situations like those that are the reason the Byrd's opened this bodega. Fresh fruits and meats are important for a healthy, long-lasting life.

Community leaders also granted the bodega numerous thousand-dollar checks to show their support.