EXCERPT: “For Minnesota rural grocers, finding new ways to operate in the face of COVID-19 is not just a business matter. It’s personal. ‘We know every person that walks through the door here. We are related to many of them and friends with all of them. We want to keep them safe.’ These are the words of one Northwest Minnesota grocer to Shannon Stassen, University of Minnesota Extension Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership (Northwest RSDP) program associate. Stassen and Northwest RSDP executive director Linda Kingery recently partnered with Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) staff Julie Flathers to prepare a tip sheet for protecting rural grocery stores against the coronavirus. RSDP is mailing the sheet to all 250 rural grocery stores across the state, and Kingery and Stassen have made phone calls to grocers across the region. A common sentiment grocers expressed was, ‘People know they can call me.’ At the same time, store owners are feeling the strain of operating on the front line.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/2T9irVA
