Kansas State University’s
Dr. David Procter, Director
Center for Engagement and Community Development
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS
www.ksu.edu/cecd
(785) 532-6868
Kansas State University’s
Center for Engagement and
Community Development
Established: 2006
Mission:To connect the resources
and expertise of Kansas State University to the significant issues of public need facing Kansans and communities worldwide.
CECD held listening sessions across Kansas in 2006 / 2007.
Identified rural grocery stores as significant public issue facing rural Kansas communities
Received a small grant from USDA Rural Development that launched the initiative
RGI History
Why Focus on Rural Grocery Stores?
Economic Development
Rural grocery stores are a critical small business
1. Rural grocery stores in KS, on average, contribute $644,000 to the local economy
2. Grocery stores are resilient businesses in economic downturn times
3. Kansas rural grocery stores provide, on average, 17 local jobs
6 full time; 11 part time
4. Rural grocery stores are a barometer for other local, rural businesses
5. Locally-owned, small businesses have a larger economic multiplier
6. SNAP and WIC benefits provide economic stimulus
• SNAP puts food dollars directly and indirectly into local economies.
• Food Dollar Leakage: Local grocery stores are critical to capture SNAP dollars
Why Focus on Rural Grocery Stores?
Community Development
Functions as an anchor of community life◦ Creates community identity
◦ Community bonds are created and sustained
Provides a community gathering place◦ A place to catch up with friends;
elected officials
◦ A community gathering space Clubs, libraries, art galleries, breakfast /
lunch locations
They are community partners◦ Community sponsors
◦ Decisions made locally
◦ Profits stay in town
Why Focus on Rural Grocery Stores?
Healthy Food Access:
Because,1. Rural areas suffer the highest
obesity rates in the nation.
2. Rural grocery stores offer more healthy foods, at lower cost, than rural convenience stores.
3. Presence of grocery stores in non-metro counties is inversely associated with incidence of obesity.
4. Rural grocery stores are often a distribution point for locally-sourced foods.
1. Provides support for local producers
2. Provides site for fresh produce sales
Why Focus on Rural Grocery Stores?
Healthy Food Access
• Over 30% of Kansas counties are considered
food deserts
• 800,000 Kansans lack access to healthy food
sources within a reasonable distance from their
home1
• Rural grocery stores struggle to stay in business
• 53 stores out of 215 have closed in the past 11 years
Kansas Health Foundation (2018)
Center for Engagement and Community Development (2018)
Kansas State University’s
Rural Grocery Initiative
Goals:1. Identify challenges facing
rural grocery stores (2,500 or less)
2. Develop responses to those challenges
3. Identify and detail sustainable business models of grocer operation
4. Build virtual and face-to-face information networks for rural grocers
5. Strengthen rural access to healthy foods
Identifying Challenges:
Rural Grocer Owner Surveys
Grocer Challenge KS MN ND
Competition:
Big Box Store 1 1 2
Operating Costs 2 4 4
Labor:
Quality/Quantity 3 6 2
Narrow Margins 4 3 8
Taxes 5 5 8
Gov’t Regulations 6 4 10
Low Comm. Support 7 10 1
Low Sales Volume 8 7 12
Shoplifting/Unpaid Acc’ts 9 8 9
Distribution 10 13 15
(KS) Clark, Tsoodle, & Kahl (2008); (MN) Lanthier & Draeger (2015); (ND) Capouch & Stumph (2015)
RGI’s Responses to
Rural Grocer Challenges
1. Connecting grocer’s / rural leaders to
information resources
2. Facilitating rural community town halls
to understand community needs and
build community investment
3. Researching / writing success stories
4. Building virtual and face-to-face
networks
RGI Responses to Grocer Challenges:
Connecting Grocers and Stakeholders to
Information Resources
Rural Grocery Toolkit
◦ https://www.ruralgrocery.org/
resources/
Kansas Healthy Food
Initiative Data Base
www.ruralgrocery.org/resources/
RGI Responses to Grocer Challenges:
Food Distribution
1. Exploring innovative models of distribution
• Regional Distribution Centers
• Food Business Serving as Distribution Centers
• Grocery Stores as Food Hubs
2. Convening food distribution national conversations
3. Exploring ways to increase rural grocery food sales
RGI Responses to Grocer Challenges:
Identifying and Assisting with Sustainable
Models of Grocery Operation
Rural Grocery Ownership Models◦ School-based enterprise Cody, NE; Leeton, MO
◦ Community owned Minneola, KS
◦ Public / private partnerships St. Paul, KS; St. John, KS
◦ Cooperatives Marmonton, KS
◦ Sole proprietorships Conway Springs, KS; Chapman, KS
◦ 501(c)3 Morland, KS; Plains, KS
Strengthening Healthy Food Access:
KHFIwww.kansashealthyfood.org
The Kansas Healthy Food
Initiative is a public -
private partnership that
aims to increase access to
affordable healthy food to
improve the health and
economic development of
Kansans and their
communities.
Strengthening Healthy Food Access:
KHFI
Launched November, 2017
Seeded by the Kansas Health Foundation
A partnership to increase access to affordable fresh
food and improve Kansans’ health and economic
development
◦ KHF, CECD, IFF, NetWork Kansas, The Food Trust
Provides technical assistance and financing to bring
healthy foods to underserved Kansas communities living
in low-resource areas
Works to bridge informational and financing gaps faced by healthy food stakeholders and food retailers
N=39 counties
Technical Assistance by County
19
Geographic Reach of
KHFI Applicants as of Q4 2018
Intake forms received from shaded counties (24); * =
Funded Projects (12 in 10 counties)
Project Name Project Type City
(County)
Q1 ‘18
(4 projects)
Stafford County Economic
DevelopmentNew Store Development
St. John
(Stafford)
Home OilConvenience Store Expansion to Offer More Fresh Options
Lucas
(Russell)
Grinnell Hometown Grocery(this store closed in Q4 2018)
Existing Store RenovationGrinnell
(Gove)
Mildred StoreGrocery Store Upgrades of
Refrigeration Equipment
Moran
(Allen)
Q2 ‘18
(2 projects)
Community Enhancement Foundation of Plains
New Store DevelopmentPlains
(Meade)
Marmaton MarketSupport New Purchase of Existing Store; Co-op Model
Moran(Allen)
Q3 ‘18
(3 projects)
Willard's (d/b/a Moon's
Hometown Market)
Upgrades to Existing Store;
Addition of a Deli
Humboldt
(Allen)
McCune Farm to Market Grocery Store ImprovementsMcCune
(Crawford)
KCK Greenmarket Farmers Market ExpansionKansas City
(Wyandotte)
Projects Funded by Quarter
KHFI Dashboard Q4 2017
Project Name Project Type City
(County)
Q4 ‘18
(3 projects)El Torito
New Hispanic Store
Development
Topeka
(Shawnee)
Sainty SupersGrocery Store Expansion to
Offer More Fresh Produce
St Francis
(Cheyenne)
Protection Community
Venture, Inc.
Grocery Store Upgrades of
Refrigeration Equipment
Protection
(Comanche)
Projects Funded by Quarter (cont’d)
Q4 2018Impact
MetricDefinition
Target Goal
By 12/31/18
Progress
in Q4
2018
Cumulative
Total / %
Progress
OVERALL
REACH
# KHFI intake forms
received20 4 30 150%
# projects funded 2 3 12 600%
# t.a. inquiries 50 51 234 468%
GEOGRAPHI
C REACH# unique counties reached /
funded (see maps)20 4
24 (10 funded)
120%
JOBS# jobs retained* 20 10 64 320%
# jobs created* 20 64 76 380%
LEVERAGE $ leveraged* $500,000 $1,450,086$6.6M($45K is
direct)
1320%
RESIDENTS
SERVED
# residents served* 10,000 3,676 62,905 629%
% low income counties* 75% of projects 67% 83% 111%
* funded projects only
Building Information Networks
• Virtual Networks
◦ www.ruralgrocery.org
◦ Rural Grocery FB (755 followers; 776 likes)
◦ Twitter (374 followers)
◦ www.kansashealthyfood.org
Face-to-Face Networks
◦ Rural Grocery Summits (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018)
◦ Average attendance – 200 people representing 15 states
RGI / KHFI Partners
On-Campus Partners
Agricultural Economics
Human Nutrition
Agricultural Communications
Horticulture
Sociology
Journalism & Mass Communications
History
K-State Cooperative Extension
Marketing
Regional Community Planning /
Landscape Architecture
Huck Boyd National Institute for
Rural Development
Art
Engineering Extension
Off-Campus Partners
• The Food Trust (PA)
• The Kansas Rural Center
• The Center for Rural Affairs (NE)
• U. of Minnesota Extension
• Kansas Corporation Commission
• Dozens of rural grocery stores
• Associated Wholesale Grocers
• USDA Rural Development
• The Kansas Sampler Foundation
• The Reinvestment Fund (PA)
• Change Lab Solutions (CA)
• The Kansas Health Foundation
• The Sunflower Foundation
• Kansas Department of Agriculture
• Kansas Department of Commerce
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• The American Heart Association
• N.D. Assoc. of Rural Electric Cooperatives
• NetWork Kansas
• IFF (MO)
ReferencesCapouch, L. and Stumph, M. (2015). North Dakota’s independent grocers: Report on the opportunities and challenges for the long-term success of community businesses. Mandan, N.D.: North Dakota Association of Rural Electrical and Telecommunications
Chrisinger, B. (2015). Reconsidering the supplemental nutrition assistance program as community development. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 47, 3. pp. 273-277.
Clark, P., Tsoodle, L., & Kahl, Dan (2008). Rural grocery sustainability project: Owner Survey. KSU Center for Engagement and Community Development.
Clopton, A & Finch, B. (1998). ). Re-conceptualizing social anchors in community development: Utilizing social anchor theory to create social capital’s third dimension. Community Development, 42(1). 70-83.
Lanthier, K. & Draeger, K. (2015). Anchors of Main Street: Results from the 2015 Rural Grocery Survey. 5th National Rural Grocery Summit. Wichita, KS. June 6.
Keen, J. (2011, July 8). Small towns try to save vital grocery stores. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com.
Miller, H. (2015). The economic contribution of rural grocery stores in Kansas. Thesis. Kansas State University.
Tolbert, C., Irwin, T., & Irwin, M. (1998). Local capitalism, civic engagement, and socioeconomic well-being. Social Forces, 77(2). 401-428.
Treuhaft, S. & Karpyn, A. (2010). The grocery gap: Who has access and why it matters. Policy Link.
Ver Ploeg, M. (2009). Access to affordable and nutritious food: Measuring and understanding food deserts and their consequences. A Report to Congress. Washington, D.C.
Thank You
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