Onaga ? Just days after a fire destroyed the only grocery store in Onaga, the small rural town and its citizens are still trying to figure out what to do next.

“Right now, we are just trying to regroup and figure out how to get everyone groceries,” said Onaga Mayor Gary Holthaus. “We have a lot of elderly people that can’t drive, and those that can don’t want to get out and drive 30 minutes to the next closest grocery store.”

Holthaus and the rest of Onaga’s 700 residents are now forced to travel the 25 miles to St. Marys or 35 miles to Wamego to get food and supplies.

A shuttle service has been set up by Pottawatomie County that will run a couple days a week to allow people the opportunity to get to other grocery stores within the county.

“The county commissioners gave us their extra mini-bus, and we are looking into trying to set up a temporary grocery store for the time being,” Holthaus said.

“We looked at the fair building, but it doesn’t have any heat. So now, we are just looking into other options, which will hopefully work out so we can survive the winter months.”

One business in Onaga, Wanda’s Country Cooking, has expanded its inventory and services to try and make sure everyone has food.

“We want to make sure everyone has the bare necessities of meat, milk and bread,” said co-owner Karla Rice. “We run to Wamego just about everyday to get supplies and bring people the things that they can’t get on their own.”

Rice said the loss of the town’s only grocery store came at the worst possible time.

“The holidays and the rest of the winter is going to be pretty tough for everyone in this town,” she said. “Our community will just have to band together and help everyone get through this. This fire really made us realize that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”

The fire, which occurred right before midnight on Thursday, Dec. 2, broke out at Nider’s Thriftway, which caused firefighters from Onaga, Havensville, Wheaton and Wamego to respond.

Onaga police chief Tim Morse said the estimated damages were $1.3 million, but no cause had been determined yet.

Officials from the State Fire Marshal’s office as well as officials from the federal ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms) have been called in to investigate.