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“I used to go to this village, but I haven’t been there for several years. Why? Everyone has died, only the huts remain,” Rolandas points to the abandoned village buildings with his finger. He is a driver delivering food to the most remote villages and towns. Or, more precisely, the owner of an auto shop. Auto store is a phenomenon that appeared at the beginning of Independence, when people with personal cars loaded all kinds of food and household goods into the trunk and drove around Lithuanian villages and farms, trying to sell them. At the time, it was an extremely profitable activity with little regulation of both laws and food controls. And there were significantly more people living in villages. Now, according to Roland, the situation is radically different – villages are disappearing more and more because people are dying.
Roland has been running his auto shop for more than 4 years. Previously, he worked in Spain for many years, then after returning to Lithuania, he got a job in a car dealership company. However, he did not stay there for long – after seeing the need for fresh meat that the residents are asking for, he decided to start this business himself. He bought one car, and a little later he bought premises, which he turned into a meat workshop. Now he travels by himself in one car, his employee in the other.
Every Wednesday, the man loads food into the car from early morning. The goal is to visit 5-7 towns and small villages, visit some more remote homesteads.
His main customers, whom he does not like to call themselves, but prefers to say are the people he tries to help, are the elderly.
As villages and towns age, their residents face a challenge – where to buy food and everyday goods? Stores that were open until then are closing because they can no longer survive. For example, Maxima is closing in Vabalninke, a town in Biržai district municipality. Residents have only one store left. The assortment is much smaller, so if you miss certain products, you will be forced to travel to Birži or Panevėžys. And for elderly people, according to Roland, it is sometimes an insurmountable task.
However, there are towns where the situation is even worse – there are no shops at all. Such is the village of Degėsiai (Pakruojo district), where a little more than 100 people live. Not only is the local store no longer here, but the primary school is closed, and the town is shrinking. Therefore, auto shops here become not so much an alternative as the last chance for seniors to buy food.
It seems that pensions that are increasing every year do not bring happiness to senior citizens. On the one hand, you can buy more, but what to buy when there is no store on campus? On the other hand, according to Roland, the needs of old people are quite different.
“Elderly people in the villages are abandoned, often left by their closest relatives, and even the leaders and elders of the towns do not show much interest in their problems. Often they just want to be heard. Sometimes I’m the only person who visits them and talks,” Rolandas shares his insights.
Dozens of people like Roland who transport food to the most remote regions. However, they are also decreasing every year. It’s just not worth it anymore to transport goods in your car when only one or two customers are waiting for you. And not all town leaders are happy to welcome entrepreneurs, not everywhere allows them to settle and trade.
Rolandas admits that it is painful to see poor elderly people and the worsening situation in the regions every year: “Give it another 5 years and such towns will disappear altogether. I won’t be able to drive myself anymore, because who will buy that meat from me?” – wonders the businessman aloud.
According to the data of the State Food and Veterinary Service, 956 auto shops were operating in 2023, which is almost 2.5 times more than in 2018. However, this number also includes shops located in bazaars or near large shopping centers. Therefore, there is not enough data to claim that it increased the availability of goods specifically for residents of towns and villages.
A study conducted by Vilnius University researchers last year shows that every tenth 65-year-old aged and older person in Lithuania feels lonely, lives a closed life. Many of them are not very socially active, and they face challenges in order to secure a decent life, for example, simply shopping. The gap was further widened by the transport reform that took effect a year ago, after which the number of trips from villages and towns to cities was significantly reduced. Auto stores become a salvation for these people – their drivers not only deliver food to areas far from the centers, but also, as Rolandas tells, satisfy people’s need for communication or simply listen to them.
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This work is ready BENDRA.lt implementing the European Union’s PERSPECTIVES project.
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