NEW YORK – An article on CNN Money this week shares several stories of convenience retailers who are taking it upon themselves to make a difference in the health of their communities — stories that are becoming more and more common, by all accounts.

As CNN writes, “When millions of Americas rely on convenience stores as their primary grocery, offering more nutritious options becomes a public health imperative.” The publication talks about The Food Trust, a group that NACS spoke with for the April NACS Magazine piece, “Good for Your and the Bottom Line.” The Food Trust is a regional advocacy group that gets funding from a variety of public and private sources to provide money and expertise to help retailers incorporate healthier options in their stores. Part of this effort includes training store operators on how to handle fresh produce, including tips for storing and marketing fresh items.

Philadelphia’s Clare Olivares of Olivares Food Market, who received assistance from the group, sells a lot more fruits and vegetables than she used to: "Right when you come in the door we've got veggies, fruits, whole grain cereals," she told CNN Money. "We wanted to offer more choices to our customers, and for the community to get healthier."

And The Food Trust is not the only organization on this mission. Several programs around the country are trying a similar model, providing funding and training so that convenience store owners can remodel and restock, showcasing a variety of healthy food up front. For instance, the San Francisco city government has been running such a program since 2013, remodeling six stores in 2014 with plans for more this year. In that case, the program sets store owners up with vegetable dealers at the San Francisco Wholesale Produce market as a means of ensuring a steady supply of high-quality produce. Program officials there say that stores that have been renovated have seen a 35% to 40% increase in produce sales.

And preliminary data suggests the makeovers are having a positive impact on health as well. Some stores in the program offer monthly neighborhood health checkups, and early indicators are that people who shop in these stores are losing weight and lowering their blood pressure.