The town of Plains, Kansas (population: 1150), lost their only supermarket in 2001. Now they are fighting to get one back for the town's survival. Easy to forget, but for many small places, "… a town's viability is measured by what has not yet closed. Losing a post office is considered the kiss of death. Losing a school can be a terminal diagnosis."

Jeanne Roberts, a resident of Plains, says, "A grocery store is the heart of the town. In small towns it's the social gathering place. And when you don't have that social gathering place and you're going outside, then you don't feel connected."

Update: As of November, 2020, the town still does not have a local grocery store

Possible Preaching Angle:

Still, not once in the entire article is the loss of a church related to the death of a town. Are we present to the community in such a way that if we disappeared, it would be considered a death-blow for our neighborhood?