An independent grocery store in Anselmo has been chosen by the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons to receive their Citizenship Award this spring.
Jessi Chandler Mason, owner of The Market and Mill in Anselmo, will receive the award for testifying in support of Nebraska Legislative Bill 1116 in spring 2024 and working with the Center on advocacy for the bill.
The Citizenship Award is given to an individual or individuals who actively participate in the civic process of creating public policy, and who work closely with the Center to advance public policies that strengthen family farms, ranches, and rural communities.
The following people and businesses will also be presented awards from CFRA this spring:
Seventh Generation Award: Jan and Cornelia (Neal) Flora, Ames, Iowa, rural sociologists whose research addresses alternative strategies of community development and community-based natural resource management in light of changing socio-technical regimes and climate change.
George Norris Policymaker Award: Tony Vargas, Omaha, former state senator in Nebraska’s 7th district, for working with the Center to introduce and pass food truck legislation that helped simplify the bureaucracy around operating food trucks in Nebraska during the spring 2023 legislative session.
Rural Community Champion Award: Danelle Myer, owner and operator of One Farm and One Farm Market, Logan, Iowa. Myer is a champion for rural health, rural entrepreneurship, women in business, and leadership, and cares deeply about the health and well-being of her community.
Entrepreneur Award: Sabino and Maria Hernandez, owners of Corn Taco, in Schuyler, Nebraska, run a food truck and soon a restaurant. They have hosted Center staff and partners on food-based business tours in addition to participating in and recommending the Center’s services.
Entrepreneur Partner Award: Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), Omaha, which provides free services for small business owners across the state.
The Center for Rural Affairs works to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities through action-oriented programs addressing social, economic, and environmental issues.
