Viola's owner Frank Viola slices some deli meat for a customer Wednesday. Viola is closing the market after 55 years.

With the closure of Viola’s Market in Evans City in late July, Butler County is becoming a “food desert” for many of its residents.

The loss of the longtime market follows the 2018 demise of Friedman’s Freshmarkets, a grocery chain that operated stores in Saxonburg, Butler Township and Chicora.

That’s five less places in Butler County to find fresh produce, meat and healthier eating options.

Lee Dyer, president of Evans City’s borough council, said that when Viola’s Market closed for a day a few months ago, he thought “the town was going to explode.”

Now, he said those residents will have to trek to Zelienople, Butler or Cranberry Township for groceries.

“Not only is it extremely inconvenient, but our senior citizens at President’s Square are a block away from the grocery store,” he said of Viola’s locale.

Dyer is correct regarding who will be most affected by the loss of the store — the elderly, but also those who don’t have a car.

“It’s ridiculous,” said an angry Petrolia senior who called the Eagle. “Seniors can’t ride a bus and bring meat back.”

While there are some options for purchasing food items in many local areas — such as Target or dollar stores — those places do not offer fresh produce or meat.

And while there are options for people to order groceries online and have them delivered, some senior citizens might have difficulty doing so if they are not Web savvy.

During the summer, farmers markets pop up in some local communities, but there aren’t many that are year-round.

So, what can be done for those situated in a food desert?

One possibility would be for towns to make use of empty buildings and entice seasonal farmers markets or food purveyors to set up shop on weekends during the colder months. This way, residents would know that there would be a place they could purchase fresh produce or meat at least once or twice a week at a designated site.

But how could a town attract a new grocery store? Perhaps, the Community Development Corporation of Butler County could offer tax breaks or some type of enticement package for a grocery chain to open a new store in the county.

Meanwhile, Martha Brown — director of grant management and resident services at Butler County’s Housing Authority — said that her organization already helps seniors near President’s Square with food programs to ensure that they’re eating healthy food.

Twice a month, the group takes seniors to Cranberry Township to shop. This is a great service, but it’s not a long-term solution for seniors who need better access to a grocery store.

We hope that the county explores some better options for providing this necessary service.

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