CROSBY – Growing concern about their community becoming a food desert has prompted businesses in one rural North Dakota town to look to fill the grocery gap for local residents.

Crosby merchants have begun stocking more food items since their local grocery began struggling to fill shelves in recent months. The owner of the Crosby store has faced financial constraints that have impacted that store and others in its rural North Dakota chain.

Kaycee Lindsey, executive director for the Divide County Job Development Authority, said there is buyer interest in the Crosby grocery, but in the interim, other businesses are seeking to help provide for residents’ food needs.

The Depot, which carries some grocery products, has expanded to add produce, she said. The hardware store is working with a grocery vendor to bring in shelf-stable products.

“These other businesses have really stepped up and are really trying to help the community out and be dependable for them,” she said.

Additionally, Crosby has a Dollar General, a natural products store and convenience stores that offer some foods. Lindsey said a community group has come together to use social media to distribute information about what is available at various stores.

The difficulty for residents has been the wait time required for the pieces to fall in place and for ordered products to arrive, she said. The nearest options for groceries are 60 miles away in Williston, Tioga or Plentywood, Montana.

“One of the challenges that some of the businesses are seeing is that when people are going out of town to get their grocery products, they are also getting their pharmaceutical items or their toiletry products or hardware, so we have leakage beyond the grocery side of it,” Lindsey said. “We don’t want to see a negative domino effect for those businesses any more than it has created already.”

Jason Tracy, owner of Jason’s Super Foods, had said last month that his goal was to keep stores open in Crosby, Bottineau, Westhope, Mohall, Lignite and New Town while resolving a personal, civil case and looking for buyers. Meanwhile, residents have faced dwindling stock, leaving them without products to buy.

Tracy said Tuesday a large load of grocery supplies is expected in Crosby and Lignite Friday or Monday.

Since last month, the store in Mohall has come under new ownership after a purchase by the Jack & Jill grocery in Kenmare. Tracy said the Westhope store also has a buyer and the New Town store is in the process of a purchase. He added he plans to meet with financial agencies next week to see what can be done to get the Bottineau store operational again.