The new Dollar General store at 2603 Locust St. in Sterling now is open, providing the community with convenient and affordable access to household essentials.

To celebrate, the company plans to host a grand opening event at 8 a.m. Saturday, which will include $10 complimentary gift cards to the first 50 adult customers and DG tote bags to the first 100 customers.

“At Dollar General, we believe the addition of our new Sterling store provides positive economic growth for the community through the creation of new jobs and career growth opportunities, increased accessibility to affordable products, the generation of tax revenue, and access to Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants,” said Matthew Simonsen, Dollar General’s senior vice president of business intelligence and development. “As part of our mission of serving others, we look forward to being a strong business partner and good neighbor, as well as welcoming customers to our new store.”

Dollar General plans to create new jobs in the Sterling community, as the store is expected to employ about six to 10 people, depending on the individual needs of the store. The company provides employees with competitive wages; world-class and award-winning training and development programs; and benefits including telemedicine eligibility as well as health insurance coverage options, 401(k) savings and retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, paid parental leave, and adoption assistance to eligible employees, according to a news release.

Furthermore, DG strives to be a good neighbor and is committed to the communities it calls home, evidenced by support of literacy and education initiatives through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

The addition of the Sterling store opens the opportunity for schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of the store to apply for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants.

Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $275 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 23.8 million people take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit dgliteracy.com.

Normal hours of operation can be found through the Dollar General app.