Dollar a day

If you live in Arkansas and you haven’t seen a Dollar General lately, you haven’t been paying attention. They’re popping up everywhere, like those zillions of geese that always crowd Arkansas duck country. The difference is, Dollar General stores are a welcome sight for most people.

By “everywhere” we mean in 550 locations across the state. On average, there are 7.3 per county. There’s one for every 5,454 Arkansans.

Possibly as important as all this is that the Nashville, Tenn.-based company employs more than 4,700 of our neighbors in the Natural State. That number is about to increase.

Last week, the company announced a $140-million investment in a 1.2 millionsquare-foot distribution center in North Little Rock next to the existing Amazon and “soon-to-be-occupied” Lowe’s distribution centers along U.S. 70.

The estimated 300 jobs created will pay $18/hour to $20/hour. And Gov. Sarah Sanders said it will “make this region the center in the company’s entire national supply chain.”

It’s hard to find any bad news here. Maybe that’s because there is none. And there’s more.

As the name implies, CEO Jeff Owen said, “At Dollar General, we like to say we’re America’s General Store.” It’s a bold claim, but anyone who’s shopped there understands that it’s not very far, if at all, off-base. You can get nearly anything there from iPhone chargers and Cheetos to paper towels and Pampers.

And now, you’re going to be able to get fresh produce in these stores, which are located primarily, though not exclusively, in what are known as food deserts.

Dollar General has plans to sell fresh fruits and vegetables in 5,000 stores nationally by the end of January. This means Arkansans without a garden in the backyard will have the opportunity to eat healthier foods.

This is great news for all Arkansans, especially for the 20 percent of Arkansas children who face hunger every day. Few things are more important to the development of a child than nutrition. It affects everything from learning ability to keeping them healthy and making it easier to be physically active, which can stave off health issues on the other end of the dietary spectrum. Not to mention that fresh tomatoes and pears add to the general enjoyment of life.

Who doesn’t like jobs and good health? Round of applause for Dollar General.