Bill Would Help Rural Grocery Stores in North Dakota

Cody Saiger runs the Chuck Stop in Crystal.  (Allison Olimb/Walsh County Press)

(Ann Estvold – North Dakota Newspaper Association ) -Many North Dakotans live in “food deserts,” and Senate Bill 2228 seeks to help curb this problem by giving one-time sustainability grants to preserve or reopen rural grocery stores.

Food deserts are defined as areas where a resident must travel 10 or more miles for fresh or perishable foods.

Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, said the legislation is similar to a bill the Legislature approved two years ago as a rural grocery assistance pilot program. It needs to continue, she said.

“In small towns across the state, losing a grocery store doesn’t just mean driving a little further for food. It means losing a gathering place, an anchor business and a major economic driver,” said Laura Lacher, director of the Economic Development Association of North Dakota.

“Rural grocery stores are the backbone of small communities in providing access to fresh and nutritious food and supporting local economies,” said Parrell Grossman, a spokesman for the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. When communities have grocery stores it allows people to remain in the communities they love, he said.