Cairo grocery store project could help jumpstart community

Ask economic developers what a community needs to grow, and the answers will focus on various types of infrastructure. Traditional -- highways, rail/river access, power and water. Educational -- good elementary and secondary schools, higher education and vocational/workforce training. Cultural -- parks, entertainment options, restaurants.

Ask someone walking down the street what a community needs to remain viable, let alone grow, and the answers will be more fundamental. Affordable housing. Emergency services. A way to earn a living.

And one more -- access to quality food.

A couple generations ago, the neighborhood food market was a staple of communities large and small. Loyal customers could find everything they needed in one place, from fruits and vegetables to fresh meat and milk. These markets were an integral part of society, providing necessary goods that were often only a short walk away.

Then came the rise of the chain megamarkets. These grocery outlets lowered costs and offered many of the same products and services. They competed with the neighborhood food markets, and eventually many of the small entities went away, giving rise to a new phenomenon.

Food deserts.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as "low-income census tracts more than one mile from a supermarket in an urban area and more than 10 miles from a supermarket in rural areas." More than a few such food deserts exist in the region. The south side of Cape Girardeau, for example.

Cairo, Illinois, for another.

South Side Farms, a project headed by Saint Francis Healthcare System Foundation, is addressing the issue in Cape Girardeau.

Residents in Cairo are taking a different tack.

Cairo has been dying a slow death for many years. Its population has dwindled to fewer than 2,000 people, but a new project, Rise Community Market, may provide a community spark, along with giving residents local access to fresh food once again.

Robert Edwards, a veteran of the grocery industry, has been named general manager of the co-operative, and in a recent interview, he noted the need.

"The closest grocery store is about 30 miles away in Sikeston, Missouri, and that's a big deterrent to moving here, even though housing is so cheap," Edwards said, conceding the community does have one discount store nearby to the high school. "There is a Dollar General, which has some basics, but it's all processed foods, nothing fresh, and with limited offerings."

Rise will feature 5,000 square feet of grocery space and 1,500 square feet for a deli and cafe and is set to open in coming weeks.

The venture is taking advantage of all the help it can get.

Gabrielle Harris, president of Rise's seven-member board of directors, said the project has the benefit of free labor for construction from students at John A. Logan College and Shawnee Community College, has received a grant through the eight-state consortium known as Delta Regional Authority and is receiving free technical assistance from University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University.

Illinois residents may purchase stock in the endeavor (risecommunitymarket.com) which will help get the venture off the ground.

"I've bragged about Cairo, about what it could be," Harris said. "I've been here long enough to know what's happened to this town. What we're doing has to come to fruition. We have to erase the food desert if we're to move forward. People will be watching to see if Cairo can sustain a grocery in this rural community."

We will be watching -- and hoping for the best -- as well. A successful neighborhood food market in Cairo could help get the community back on the right track.

Rise Community Market, 3010 Sycamore St., will host a welcome event from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 12.