Hub 71, a convenience store and gas station, sits nestled in the outskirts of Sebeka, Minnesota (pop. 711). Yet, without a grocery store in town, the central Minnesota store provides a whole lot more. In addition to regular convenience store offerings, the store boasts local produce, a small restaurant serving hot meals, and as the name suggests, it serves as a hub for the community to gather.
In 2023, the store installed three coolers and
a freezer after they received a nearly $19,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. This upgrade allows for better storage and display of their locally grown produce, maple syrup, rice, beef, pork, and honey.
The owner, Shannon Lausten, says she was excited when she learned about a grant available to purchase new equipment for a small store like hers. Especially since the previous cooler could not regulate the temperature of the produce and would often freeze.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture Good Food Access Program Equipment and Physical Improvement Grant is designed to help grocery stores sell affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods.
Lausten says the Clean Energy Resource Teams and the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships were critical in helping her navigate the application process, which can sometimes be difficult for people new to writing grants.
“Their suggestions and insights helped me say what I needed to say while staying within the application’s allotted length,” says Lausten. “They helped me break it down and focus on each question rather than the entirety of it.”
