58,000 square foot store hosts Mama’s Kitchen fundraiser

By Ashley Mackin | SDUN Editor

The Mission Hill Vons, located at 515 W. Washington St., opened Friday, March 30, after nearly nine months of construction. On Wednesday, March 28, Vons hosted a fundraiser for Mama’s Kitchen and donated all the proceeds to the meal delivery service.

The previous structure, which was demolished in April 2011, also housed a Vons store, but the new building is over four times the size of the previous one at 58,000 square feet.

Features of the new store not present at the previous one include full service floral department; expanded produce department with organic items; expanded check-stand area with self checkouts; full service meat and seafood; new pharmacy with enclosed waiting area; new full service bakery department; new full service Starbuck’s with inside seating; new outside seating area for customers; and garage parking with multiple access points, elevators, escalators and cart movers.

John Piva, Vons vice president of operations for San Diego, said he was most excited about the expanded organic produce section and the gluten-free departments. “I think its just reflective of what the community wanted here,” Piva said.

Brian Braaten, vice president of real estate for Vons Corporation, said the physical structure reflected the needs of the community with it’s “podium” style, being built up instead of out. “What we did was [we] took advantage of local topography so we didn’t have to change the landscape too much…. By doing that, we were able to get some very convenient parking, which this area is in need of, so that was an added bonus, creating a store like this without creating too much mass,” Braaten said.

Additionally, the decoration of the store includes art, plants, water features and mosaic tiles.

At the March 28 fundraiser, representatives from Safeway, Vons’s parent company, and Councilmembers Kevin Faulconer and Todd Gloria spoke about the new building.

“I’d like to say, first and foremost, to the Mission Hills and Hillcrest community, congratulations; congratulations to everybody’s hard work,” Faulconer said. “This store is phenomenal, and it’s a credit to Vons for investing and believing in this community about what we needed and what was possible.”

Faulconer said, in its planning stages, the most important elements were that the new structure was large enough, had enough parking and that it was architecturally suited for the community. He said Vons succeeded on all counts.

Gloria said the Vons Corporation showed respect to the community by meeting with community associations and community planning groups in the design process, and investing in the community.

“I recognize you could have made an investment at any of those 277-something stores you have, but you did it here in Mission Hills and Hillcrest, [and] that’s bringing new jobs to our community when we need them most,” he said.

Gilbert Gonzalez, Vons director of public affairs, said the store will employ 120 people, 50 of which are returning employees that worked in the old store.

Piva emphasized Vons’s partnership with local nonprofits, including the San Diego Food Bank, to which Vons donated 2.5 million pounds of food last year. “We really do celebrate being in the local community,” Piva said, adding they were celebrating the evening as a fundraiser for Mama’s Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that provides nutritious, home-delivered meals to those afflicted with HIV, AIDS or cancer.

Mama’s Kitchen executive director Alberto Cortéz thanked those who donated and the Vons Corporation for having the event. “The services that we provide make economic sense, they make nutritional sense and they make human sense,” he said. “I’m grateful for the community of San Diego and to Vons for the support you provide to Mama’s Kitchen.”