Sinclair Foods to begin delivering groceries to Brighton residents this week. (Carissa Sitki/ Jersey County Journal)
By Carissa Sitki
Village of Brighton residents are going to be able to have their groceries delivered from Sinclair Foods in Jerseyville, beginning this week. This new service kicks off on Thursday, Jan. 13, with deliveries going out from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Brighton Mayor Matt Kasten asked the community if they would be interested in having an online shopping option for grocery needs and said he received positive feedback.
As a small business owner himself, Kasten expressed that he has always loved Sinclair and has a passion for supporting locally owned businesses. He proceeded to work closely with Sinclair’s management, including David Whitman, to put the plan to the test in the community.
“We conducted a web survey and got a great response, folks love Sinclair,” said Kasten.
Kasten said that his mission has always been to think outside the box and bring things to Brighton. “Not a lot of people shop local, these days,” he said. “I would really just like to see more small businesses open up in town.”
The main goal for Kasten was to get a grocery store in Brighton, but for now, he said this is the next best thing.
“My hope is that Sinclair sees that there is a big demand in our area and decides to open a second, smaller location over here,” he said. “People are tired of shopping at the big chains.”
Whitman echoed Kasten’s “shop local” sentiment and said that he is very excited to be able to get some local groceries on the doorsteps of Brighton residents.
“We are really looking forward to this venture, as a store, especially with COVID, or during bad weather, we’ll be able to help cover the grocery bases in Brighton,” he said.
News of the new service quickly spread across social media. A Facebook post regarding the plan was shared 300 times and gathered the attention of more than 22,445 users.
“I’m amazed at the positive response we’ve received,” said Kasten. “I haven’t seen one bad comment.”
For now, the deliveries will be made on Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. According to Whitman, depending on demand, they may end up adding more days. “We are wanting to grow and expand with it,” he said.
To place an order, visit shop.sinclairfoods.com/shop, or go to sinclairfoods.com and click on the “on-line shopping” tab, the day before you want your groceries delivered. After selecting the items, orders can be paid for right on the website and they will be delivered. Additionally, Kasten said that residents may also call Sinclair and place their order over the phone.
Sinclair Foods is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and can be reached at 618-498-6856.
“We’ve got lots of other great things in the pipeline,” said Kasten, “and this partnership with Sinclair is going to be great for Brighton.”
