Jerry Moran: “I am here this evening to recognize the Harvest Market for its service to the community and the citizens of Grainfield…”

“I am here this evening to recognize the Harvest Market for its service to the community and the citizens of Grainfield, Kansas. The Harvest Market represents everything that makes a small-town business work--community support, dedicated employees and a desire to maintain a quality of life for those living in and around Grainfield and Gove County, Kansas. During my travels throughout our congressional district, the community grocery store has proven itself to be the cultural center of rural Kansas. I frequently hear from Kansans who contact me following a conversation they've heard at the grocery store. Many times the grocery store, along with the local barber shop, provides patrons with the day's current events and activities. Economic development within the First Congressional District of Kansas can easily be seen as whether a community does or doesn't have a grocery store. And I know my colleagues here in Washington, D.C., at least some of them, find that hard to believe that that can be an issue in a community. The viability of rural Kansas depends upon fresh and affordable food as well as the jobs a grocery store provides. When we lose our grocery store, we begin to lose our town. Grainfield is no exception to this rule. In this tiny community of 300 people, Harvest Market provides the people of Grainfield with everything from a cup of coffee from the in-store shop to the food that will make the evening's dinner.”