DE SOTO, Ill. -- As part of a growing trend toward offering healthier choices, the 4-Way Quik Stop convenience store in De Soto, Ill., has teamed up with the Jackson County Health Department to address the lack of access to healthy foods in rural communities, reported The Southern Illinoisan.
Under the partnership with the c-store, the Jackson County Health Department has conducted extensive research about what types of foods customers would like to see in the convenience store, and what they are likely to purchase, said Angie Kuehl, a Plan4Health educator at the Jackson County Health Department.
“We’re not going on a hope and a whim here. We’re looking at it from a comprehensive approach using actual information from the customers,” she told the newspaper. “We’ve got actual data that says this is a good business opportunity that’s also good for the community.”
Customers are highly interested in quick access to items such as salads and containers of ready-made chicken salad, ideal for grab-and-go lunches or to take home for dinner between grocery-store runs, according to the survey.
Melissa Parsons, who owns the c-store and gas station with her husband, Tim, said caring about the people you serve is an integral part of being a responsible business owner.
“The 4-Way is such a local hangout,” she told the paper. “I thought it would be a way to give back because [the customers] give us so much by patronizing our place. … And I’m a health nut anyway.”
Many local residents use the Quik Stop for last-minute meal ideas, Parsons said. It is a 10- to 15-minute drive to a grocery store in Carbondale or Du Quoin, and some families lack reliable transportation or can’t afford the gas, she said.
While the c-store already offers a few healthy options, such as a deli and a small vegetable stand, Parsons said she is thrilled about the idea of adding a more diverse selection.
With the research in hand, the Parsons still will be responsible for deciding which food items they want to stock, based on their business model, and the health department will provide additional marketing support.
For example, they may offer a morning coffee-and-bagel deal to lure customers away from sugary snacks, given that the 4-Way Quik Stop is a regular morning meeting place for people who are retired.
The partnership was made possible by a grant that Plan4Health received from the health department’s Jackson County Healthy Communities Coalition, said the report. The American Planning Association awarded the $120,000 grant, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to the health department in part to help increase access to fruits and vegetables at farmers markets and convenience stores throughout the region.
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