Making oneself heard can be a challenge, especially as a single voice in the political wilderness. And in an election year, the noises around us competing for attention can be deafening.
But while being united makes us stronger, it’s still vitally important for our individual members to participate in the process at the local level. And NGA members are doing just that – hosting store visits for their representatives in Washington, meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and – in some cases – testifying before Congress on the issues that are important to independent grocers and the communities they serve.
A great example of why it’s so important to be politically engaged is RF Buche. A fourth-generation grocer in South Dakota, his company operates supermarkets in a wide variety of communities, including some of the most underserved, such as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
[RELATED: RF Buche Receives NGA Spirit Of America Award]
Three years ago, Buche testified as part of a congressional roundtable on food insecurity, telling the House Rules Committee about the challenges faced in bringing groceries to the Native American population his company serves.
That testimony caught the attention of FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, who eventually made not one but two visits to Pine Ridge. He witnessed how Buche Foods serves a vulnerable community despite a playing field tilted in favor of mega retailers, which is due to nonenforcement of antitrust laws such as the Robinson-Patman Act.
Those visits led to Buche’s story appearing at the center of a recent Washington Post article on grocery market consolidation and its impact on independent grocers and the communities they serve, followed by an appearance on Fox & Friends.
Every visit, every interview is an opportunity to educate the media, public and powers that be about the impact that issues such as antitrust reform, credit card reform and nutrition policy have on independent grocers and their ability to serve their communities, especially those in food-insecure rural and urban areas.
Each opportunity helps cut through the noise, tone down political rhetoric and focus on the facts.
I urge all of you to follow in Buche’s footsteps and help play a role in shaping policy and ensuring the future success of your business. Being engaged can be as easy as showing members of Congress around a store or distribution facility. The NGA team can help its members set up a store tour.
Is your representative in Congress expected to return to Washington for another term or will there be someone new after Election Day? Either way, it’s a chance to get to know them better, educate them about the issues, introduce them to your store teams and let them see the reality of how an independent supermarket operates.
We’d be grateful and honored to have you be a part of our mission to keep independent grocers strong and at the heart of our nation’s communities.
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