Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Grocery Co-Op Opening

CAIRO, IL — Easy access to fresh food may sound common. What's common to you is a luxury in Cairo, Illinois.

People there have lived without it for more than seven years, essentially creating a food desert.

That will end soon, because a new co-op grocery is set to open soon called Rise Community Market.

The closest grocery store to Cairo is the Stop & Shop in Mounds, Illinois. It's about 8 miles away, a nearly impossible distance for those without transportation.

The smaller locally-owned store also doesn't always have everything people in Cairo need, so many have to take a much longer trip to do their shopping.

Cairo is home to nearly 1,700 people — all living without immediate access to fresh groceries.

For 72 years, Derek Eurales has called this city home, and he says the past seven years have been devastating.

“Having to travel 35, 40 miles to Cape or to Paducah, or to Walmart over in Sikeston. We didn't have a place to go and buy groceries,” Eurales says.

Board members of Rise Community Market feel the same pain, because they live there too.

Board President Gabrielle Harris says the now-empty shelves will soon be stocked, filling bellies with food and hearts with hope.

“We've had our bumps and our bruises. For something like this to come together and for the community to play a part, this being a co-op, it's about community investment,” says Harris.

It’s all about sowing back into their own community.

“We're going to be hiring several individuals that will be coming on, as far as our staff. We have other things we're looking at in the future,” Harris says.

A domino effect will hopefully start there, with more businesses falling into place along the streets of Cairo.

Rise Community Market Board President, Gabrielle Harris

“The possibilities that come with not just a grocery store, what comes from the foundation of building something, then something else comes, then something else comes,” says Harris.

“I would like to see us get a gas station, a filling station, a pharmacy, some businesses to come in, maybe a place, a Laundromat even,” Eurales says, listing the things he wants to see in his hometown.

Locals like Eurales believe Rise Community Market is going to do just that. It will rise and bring the surrounding community of Cairo with it.

“A centerpiece for Cairo. A place where people can come and not only shop, but have those conversations,” says Harris.

“It brings a lot of morale to our community,” adds Eurales.

Rise Community Market will open. Grant money totaling $500,000 is guaranteeing that, but the grand opening date depends on when they have confidently worked out the logistics.

They are aiming, though, for Memorial Day weekend.

Rise Community Market is also working to utilize the EBT system for customers who are eligible for SNAP benefits.

That way, low income families in the area who rely on these benefits can shop there too.