Morning Sun, IA

Throughout the Horizons process, in Study Circles, and LeadershipPlenty, groups have struggled with transportation issues in Morning Sun. Transportation is often a big problem for people who are in poverty and people who are close to poverty. A group of concerned citizens met to discuss how to solve this issue in Morning Sun and after much discussion they came to realize that they have resources such as the local area BUS service but few people understand how the system works. So the group is partnering with Southeast Iowa Regional Planning and will be offering a training day for the BUS service. They will train different church groups and community organizations so there will be a large group of residents familiar with the system. They are also creating articles for the local paper and instructions to give to new residents and new public transportation users.

Currently the Horizons group is looking to create a grocery co-op in Morning Sun. The local grocery store recently lost their distribution contract and will need to purchase supplies from another distributor that is much more expensive. Given the increase in expenses the current owner/manager will probably be forced out of business. This could create a significant hardship for Morning Sun residents who can not afford to drive to another town for their groceries. The Horizons group developed a task force to explore grocery options in other small communities and present the information at a town meeting. The meetings purpose was to inform the residents of shopping habits, transportation costs, and all costs related to or hidden when buying goods out of town. The hope is to encourage residents in Morning Sun to “buy local” and create a sense of ownership.