“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”
That quote by author Elizabeth Andrew might be a way to describe the many volunteers who help their communities in rural Kansas. Today we’ll meet a group of volunteers who have completed several community projects, the most recent of which is to bring grocery service back to their hometown.
Sherry Ronnebaum and her husband David are among the volunteers involved with the Axtell Economic Development Corporation, or AEDC. Sherry and Dave were the long-time owners of Axtell’s hardware store from which they recently retired, although Dave continues to do appliance repair.
In 1992, the American Legion building in Axtell burned down. A group of volunteers led the effort to rebuild it as the Legion Community Building.
AEDC was formed as a 501(c)3 organization to implement improvement projects for the community. In 2002, AEDC worked on a new firehouse that also housed emergency services. In 2021, Dave Ronnebaum spearheaded the effort to build an addition to the Legion building.
The town’s café had been torn down after a succession of owners. AEDC led the fundraising for a new one. The new restaurant is called ACE’s Café – ACE being an acronym for Axtell Community Effort.
AEDC works with community organizations such as PRIDE – now called Kansas Community Empowerment – and others. “We have a very active Knights of Columbus group,” Sherry said. “They put on an annual fish fry and a big consignment sale with the commissions given to charity.”
Then a bigger challenge hit. The town’s only grocery store closed in February, 2022. A committee was formed to look into what should be done. It concluded that the old building should be torn down and a new one constructed.
“We held a community meeting to see how many people were interested, and we asked people what they would donate for a new store,” Sherry said. “We were overwhelmed.”
Approximately $481,000 was pledged in support.
A board of directors was appointed and an LLC formed for the new store, called Axtell Community Grocery. More than 80 investors and donors supported the store. Several volunteers visited other small town stores to get ideas.
“(The other store owners) were more than helpful,” Sherry said.
In June 2022, Sherry and Dave Ronnebaum attended the National Rural Grocery Summit sponsored by K-State’s Rural Grocery Initiative and brought back ideas.
The AWG company signed up to be the store’s wholesale supplier and was instrumental in the new store’s design. “They were fantastic,” Sherry said.
AWG provided an architect and consultant to assist with the design and décor. Construction was headed up by a retired contractor, the local lumberyard owner in Axtell. Local citizens helped, including some high school students.
On January 18, 2023, the new Axtell Community Grocery opened its doors. “The new store is double the size of what we had before,” Sherry said. A small staff has been hired, but Sherry and other volunteers come in on Mondays and Thursdays to put away merchandise after the trucks deliver.
“We had gone a whole year without a store, so we’re really appreciative of it,” Sherry said. “We don’t want our little town to die. A few people are moving back because they can work from home. Our goal is to keep our rural way of life sustainable.”
It’s remarkable to find these services in a rural town such as Axtell, population 399 people. Now, that’s rural.
There’s no big city budget to support this work. Volunteers have led these community improvements through the years. “We’re known as the volunteer community,” Sherry said. “We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
For more information, search for Axtell Community Grocery on Facebook.
Volunteers. In a rural community, they may not have much time to give, but in a community like Axtell they have a lot of heart.
We commend Sherry and Dave Ronnebaum, the Axtell Community Development Corporation, and all those who are making a difference by supporting their community. Community spirit is at the heart of their success.
