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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2019)
8 Smoke Signals DECEMBER 1, 2019 ‘We need to have a grocery store here’ GRAND RONDE continued from front page Grocery store options within 30 miles of Grand Ronde. for dinner. “We need to have a grocery store here or at least expand (Grand Ronde Station),” Tribal Council member Denise Harvey says. “I’m not worried about it being profit- able because it provides a service to our Tribal members.” The Grand Ronde Tribe’s Stra- tegic Plan states as a goal that it wants to “attract new Tribal mem- bers, diversify and grow the pop- ulation, and promote a healthier, sustainable community.” Willamina In order for the Tribe to be suc- cessful in accomplishing that goal, Grand Ronde Harvey and others say that the Grand “food desert” barrier needs to be Ronde Station removed. #2 #1 “In order to get people to eat healthy, you need to change the environment of the community first,” Harvey says. “You can’t just Grand Ronde 0 Miles tell people the health risks and ask them to eat healthy.” Willamina 10 Miles Food deserts are defined as areas Sheridan 12 Miles that lack whole food providers who supply fresh protein sources, as Dallas 22 Miles well as fruits and vegetables. In- stead, people living in food deserts McMinnville 28 Miles typically rely on convenience stores that provide processed, high-sugar foods, which are known contrib- utors to a variety of health ailments, such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The opinion that Grand Ronde needs a grocery store to improve communi- ty health outcomes and attract more Tribal members to move home is noth- ing new. Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez In 2015, a survey Bananas available at Grand Ronde Station on of Tribal members found that almost Wednesday, Nov. 13. The market tries to help local 75 percent felt a shoppers by offering bread, dairy products and community grocery healthy snacks. store was a neces- Dallas or McMinnville. However, sity, and those who have attended the study did recommend recon- subsequent input meetings over the figuring the store to make one side years echo the sentiment. a community store that sold basic Following the survey results, items such as produce, cheese, milk, Tribal Council voted in 2016 to eggs, meat and other necessities. have ECONorthwest conduct a As of 2019, the study’s suggestion feasibility study to determine if has not yet been implemented. there is enough demand to justi- “The main objection I am hearing fy a stand-alone grocery store in is that it would not be profitable,” Grand Ronde. The study found Harvey says. “I think a grocery that demand could not sustain a store would be a bonus, and that full-sized store because it would require $10 million in annual sales to survive. At the time, the total community grocery spending was estimated at $2.7 million. However, the study concluded that expanding Grand Ronde Station near Spirit Mountain Casino might be a viable option. These findings resulted in a 2017 study by Pepper Foster Consulting to identify options within the Grand Ronde Station site. Ultimately, the study found it unlikely that Grand Ronde Station would be able to compete on either price or selection with “big box” grocery stores in A selection of healthy snacks available at Grand Ronde Station. McMinnville 18 Sheridan 99W 22 Dallas we could attract a lot of the traffic heading to and from the coast.” She notes that although the Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkhmfk haws – does a good job providing fresh fruits and vegeta- bles to the community, there are limits on the availability and choice of products. Food Bank Program Manager Francene Ambrose has said that many local families prefer to buy produce rather than take what is available at the food pantry because of quality and selection. Tribal Economic Development Director Bruce Thomas says that a full-sized brick-and-mortar gro- cery store operates on only a 3- to 5-percent profit margin, and that includes a large number of steady customers. “I’ve never seen a town of this size able to support a grocery store,” Thomas says. “Most people here have access to a car to drive to stores (in other areas) and the cost of grocery delivery services would be far lower than the cost of build- ing a regular store, and the waste that would result if you can’t sell Map created by Samuel Briggs III the product.” Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier lives in Grand Ronde and feels a grocery store could be sup- ported by the community. “There is a Grocery Outlet in La Pine and that’s a fairly remote community,” he says of the central Oregon town south of Bend with a population of approximately 1,900 residents. “We shouldn’t be so worried about profitability. If we build something like a WinCo or a Grocery Outlet, it will attract customers. Right now, people who come to the food bank are from all over the area.” The 2010 U.S. Census estimated there were 1,661 people living in the Grand Ronde Census Des- ignated Place. George says the most recent population count is approximately 1,800 people in 700 households. Mercier adds that an emphasis on healthy eating and lifestyles won’t work as well without a local place to purchase fresh, affordable groceries. “I live in Tribal housing and I know a lot of people who go to the convenience store every day to get a soda and bag of chips (for a meal),” he says. “I think if those people could go to a grocery store, they might make better health choices, but they need to learn how much better fresh things taste.” Tribal Planning Director Rick George says a plan is currently in the works to establish a “tipping point” for population numbers needed to support a full-sized gro- cery store. “Until we hit the tipping point, we can’t sustain a store,” George says. “We need to be careful and just like See GRAND RONDE continued on page 9
