Part two of a series
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
MORLAND — On any given morning, you can find a group of men in the back of the Morland Mercantile drinking coffee.
Eugene Sauer, retired farmer and cattleman, lives 10 miles south of Morland and drives in almost every day to sip coffee, BS with his buddies and pick up a few groceries.
Before the Mercantile opened in 2013, Sauer was driving to WaKeeney or Hill City, a 30-mile drive one way to buy groceries. He said he appreciates being able to pick up little items on a daily basis without the longer drives.
PART ONE: In a land of plenty, food deserts prevalent in western Kansas
Morland used to be in a food desert. The community was without a grocery store for eight years. The Mercantile brought fresh food back to the community of 146 people.
A food desert is an area defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as low income, based on poverty rates, and area median income levels. It is also considered low access, an area where people live more than 10 miles from a grocery store in a rural area and more than a mile from a grocery store in an urban area.
For Sauer, the Mercantile has come full circle. He remembers coming to the same building when he was a boy to buy groceries with his family, who also sold eggs and cream to the store owner.
However, he acknowledged the community has changed. As he purchased property, he personally leveled six old farmhouses. They all represent families that have left the community. The story is the same across the county as farms have consolidated.
"All that's left is maybe a windmill and a foundation," he said.
Data from the 2020 U.S. Census showed 80 of the state’s 105 counties declined in population since 2010. The population of Graham County, where Morland is located, dropped by 7 percent between 2010 and 2020.
The exodus of families from rural areas, such as Graham County, has made it difficult for traditional grocery stores to remain open. Morland found another way.
The Morland Community Foundation, with the help of grants, opened the Morland Mercantile in 2013. The foundation subsidized the store until it could become self-sustaining in 2018.
Although there is a grocery store in Hill City, which is 15 miles from Morland, the nearest retail center would be Hays, which is 70 miles to the southeast.
“Of course everyone drove into Hoxie or Hill City," Diana Crouch, Morland Community Foundation director, said. "It kind of separates everybody. Right now, the Morland Mercantile is where you get a newspaper or stamps.
“It is more of a community setting now, and it was not that way for the eight years. There was really nowhere to go if you just needed milk for dinner. This has become more of a community place where you learn about your neighbors and who's ill — a gathering spot.”
Mike Frakes is the owner of Pacleader, an agriculture services company and a major employer in the area. He has also served on the board of the community foundation. Having a grocery store in the community is vital to recruiting people to work for the company, he said.
"There are a few things — banks, schools, grocery stores — that are vital to communities. When you lose any one of those, it's a great impact on the community," Frakes said.
"Our little grocery store is the last thing we have going for us in town. ... It's a meeting place and extremely vital for our community."
He lived in Morland when the community did not have a grocery store and said he didn't realize how many things he took for granted until the store closed.
"You are constantly finding yourself out of things," he said. "You make that long trip to Hays, and you forget that one item you really, really wanted. It is so nice to have that here in town."
The Morland Community Foundation also prepares hot meals in a kitchen next door to the Mercantile. The money the foundation makes on the hot foods helps subsidize the Mercantile's grocery lines, Crouch said.
Hot meals are delivered to the elderly and disabled and sold onsite at the Mercantile while supplies last. The kitchen averages about 25 meals per day. Fried chicken is a community favorite. Come early — if you don't reserve a plate by 11 a.m., it'll probably be sold out.
The deli also allows the Mercantile to make the best use of perishables. A bruised tomato might linger on a shelf. It doesn't look beautiful, but the bruise can be cut away and the rest of the fruit used in a deli dish.
Convenience foods, such as snacks and pop ,also help the store's profit margin. Farmers and grain haulers often frequent the store for these items.
"I think it's so valuable to have that. We’ve kept Main Street Morland alive. To me, that's key,” Crouch said.
Price and selection can both be issues.
“What we see as a problem is that people are so used to specialized food nowadays like gluten-free, although we offer gluten-free flour and things like that. Everybody has their special milk. Everybody has their specialized products,” she said.
The store will order some specialty products on request, Crouch said.
The Mercantile sells Kansas products whenever possible, including meats from Rock Creek Ranch in Penokee, Alma Cheese, from Alma, and Let It Rise bread mixes from Hays.
Crouch said residents from Hill City, which has a grocery store, come to Morland to buy the locally raised beef and pork.
Crouch bemoaned the pandemic as a whole, but said it has meant more shoppers in the Mercantile. Residents have been more reluctant to drive to larger communities for groceries, she said.
The store volume is low so it can't take advantage of the discounts that chain stores receive. Prices may be a little higher, but shoppers said they don't mind, Crouch said.
“But I think the convenience has won out," she said, "I think it's the convenience of walking to the grocery store rather than driving 12 miles to Hill City.
“I think it took a while to realize, 'Why should I drive all the way in for cheese when it's right here?' ”