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