Rising in Cairo: New co-op market aims to erase Illinois river town's 'food desert'

CAIRO, Ill. — It is a massive understatement to suggest Cairo and Cape Girardeau are two river cities that in living memory have been trending in opposite directions.

To wit: A century ago, Cairo had a population 48% larger than Cape Girardeau, 15,203 residents compared to 10,252, according to 1920 U.S. Census Bureau figures.

The script has flipped for the two cities as corruption, economic upheaval and racial tension have plagued Cairo in the past 100 years.

Census Bureau figures show Cairo, at the southern tip of the Land of Lincoln and situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, had just 1,733 residents as measured in the 2020 Census as compared to 39,540 for Cape Girardeau.

Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson told a crowd at Cairo Junior/Senior High School in August 2017 the city could be saved "through creative approaches, rare procedures and by the grace of God," according to Chicago's Daily Herald online newspaper.

Carson's appearance in Cairo, considered one of America's fastest depopulating communities, came on the heels of Department of Housing and Urban Development's decision to close the crumbling Elmwood and McBride public housing projects — displacing more than 400 people.

Rise Community Market in Cairo, Illinois, is expected to open before summer in this hard-hit river city, which has lost 89% of its 1920 population. Cairo fits the federal government's definition of a food desert -- having had no grocery store since December 2015.Jeff Long

Rise Community Market in Cairo, Illinois, is expected to open before summer in this hard-hit river city, which has lost 89% of its 1920 population. Cairo fits the federal government's definition of a food desert -- having had no grocery store since December 2015.Jeff Long

New attempt at revival

Cairo has not had a grocery store within municipal limits in more than seven years, making the city what U.S. Department of Agriculture officials call a "food desert", defined by USDA 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."

Robert Edwards, a grocery veteran who has been employed by the former Indianapolis-based Marsh Foods chain and later by Kroger Supermarkets, was recently named general manager of Cairo's new Rise Community Market, 3010 Sycamore St. He relocated to Cairo in May.

"I had decided to get out of retail for awhile and was working a job in a power plant, but had to stop that because my knee went bad," Edwards said. "My wife and I, with our kids grown, decided we wanted to move somewhere new in the country and stumbled upon an inexpensive house we fell in love with — and it happened to be in Cairo."

Edwards said Rise Community Market was gearing up to open at about the same time he was concluding physical therapy.

"It was perfect timing," he said, adding he has been with the store less than two months. Edwards' mother also moved to Cairo to join her son and daughter-in-law.

Freddie Brown, left, and John Dowdy work to prepare the yet-to-open Rise Community Market for a public preview scheduled for Wednesday, April 12, in Cairo, Illinois. The site of the grocery is a former Subway shop.Jeff Long

Freddie Brown, left, and John Dowdy work to prepare the yet-to-open Rise Community Market for a public preview scheduled for Wednesday, April 12, in Cairo, Illinois. The site of the grocery is a former Subway shop.Jeff Long

Challenges

"The closest grocery store (to Cairo) 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."

Edwards acknowledged transportation to and from the market is an issue for some customers.

"There are folks in Cairo who don't have access to a car, so we're trying to figure out how residents can buy food and then get it home," said Edwards, suggesting Rise Community Market might in the future be able to let residents use shopping carts with embedded range limits, but added such logistics have not been addressed.

Edwards indicated Rise plans to utilize the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system for those eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Rise plans to partner with Winkler Wholesale Grocers in Dale, Indiana, to be the market's primary food supplier, he added.

If all goes to plan, Edwards said, the 5,000-square-foot market will open in eight weeks, with an additional 1,500-square-feet of space also being developed for a deli and cafe. The market is occupying a former Subway location leased from Southern Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone.

Gabrielle Harris, president of Rise's seven-member Board of Directors, has lived in Cairo 23 years and owns a clothing store, a food truck, a hand-dipped ice cream shop and a rental hall in the community.

"Rise is a co-operative organization, and we're coming up with innovative ways to be successful," Harris said, noting Rise has had the benefit of free labor for construction from students at John A. Logan College and Shawnee Community College. Rise has also received a grant through the eight-state consortium known as Delta Regional Authority, and is seeking more such funding, he said.

Technical assistance is being provided on a gratis basis by University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University

A primary driver of financing for Rise Community Market, Harris said, are co-op memberships, available for purchase online. Anyone, he added, can purchase a lifetime membership at www.risecommunitymarket.com, regardless of residence.

Memberships are $50 prior to opening and $100 once the doors open to the public, said Edwards, noting that, according to state law, only Illinois residents can be holders of preferred stock and be eligible to receive future dividends.

Response

Harris said community members seem to be taking a wait-and-see attitude about the grocery store.

"They've been burned before and they've heard promises. They're excited but waiting to see how it turns out," he said.

Hope

"I've bragged about Cairo, about what it could be," said Harris, adding, "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."

What's next

Rise Community Market is advertising a welcome event from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 12.

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