1. Strengthening Rural Community and Access to Healthy Foods through Local Grocery Retail
Dr. David E. Procter, Director
Center for Engagement and Community Development
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas 66506
(785) 1

2. Kansas State University’s Center for Engagement and Community Development
Mission:
To connect the resources and expertise of Kansas State University to the significant issues of public need facing Kansans and communities worldwide.

3. Why Focus on Rural Food Retail?
Because,
Rural Grocery Stores Provide:
Economic Development
Rural grocery stores are an important rural economic driver
Food Access
Rural grocery stores provide a primary source of nutritious and competitively priced foods
Important Community Hubs
Rural grocery stores provide important local, civic and social meeting spaces

4. Economic Development: Why Focus on Rural Grocery Stores?
Because,
Rural grocery stores are a critical small business
Rural grocery stores in KS, on average, contribute $644,000 to the local economy.
Grocery stores are resilient businesses in economic downturn times
Kansas rural grocery stores provide, on average, 17 local jobs
6 full time; 11 part time
Rural grocery stores in Kansas generate 1 out of every 5 tax dollars for local community
Locally-owned, small business have a larger economic multiplier
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

5. Community Hubs: Why Focus on Rural Grocery Stores?
Functions as anchor of community life
Helps form community identity
Sites where community bonds are created and sustained
Social capital built
Provides a place for talking with one another
Diverse talk takes place
small talk
Local, state, national politics
A community gathering space
Clubs, libraries, art galleries
Creates habits of public association

6. Healthy Food Access: Why Focus on Rural Grocery Stores?
Because,
8% of rural population (Approx million people) in the U.S. are living in communities lacking access to healthy foods.
(Policy Link; Food Trust, 2013)
Poverty: 20% of census tract is below poverty level.
Lack of Access: 33% of the census tract's population resides more than 10 miles from a supermarket or large grocery store.  6

7. Healthy Food Access: Why Focus on Rural Grocery Stores?
Because,
Rural areas suffer the highest obesity rates in the nation.
Rural grocery stores offer more healthy foods, at lower cost, than rural convenience stores.
Presence of grocery stores in non-metro counties is inversely associated with incidence of obesity.
Rural grocery stores are often a distribution point for locally- sourced foods.
Provides support for local producers
Provides site for fresh produce sales

8. Kansas State University’s Rural Grocery Initiative
Goals:
Identify challenges facing rural grocery stores (2,500 or less)
Develop responses to those challenges
Identify and detail sustainable business models of grocer operation
Build virtual and face-to-face information networks for rural grocers
Strengthen rural access to healthy foods

9. Rural Grocer Owner Surveys Top 10 Identified Challenges

10. RGI Responses to Grocer Challenges: Generating Community Support
Highlight the power of community support
Walsh, CO
Cuba, KS
Build community investment
FEAST Community Conversations
Promote effective grocery store operations
Customer service

11. Building Community Investment:
A FEAST event:
Brings together diverse community food stakeholders
Is a facilitated deliberation about community food system based on community assets
Builds community investment and develops change actions to make community more food secure.

12. FEAST Results
Established Farmer's Market connected to local grocery store
Increased production of consumable and healthy farm products – high tunnels
Developed comprehensive nutrition education program on local food system
Created marketing campaign for promoting local, healthy food access

13. RGI Responses to Grocer Challenges: Food Distribution
Identifying rural grocery distribution challenges
Facilitating grocery collaborations
Facilitating / energizing regional distribution centers
Convening food distribution national conversations
Exploring ways to increase rural grocery food sales

14. RGI Responses to Grocer Challenges: Competition with Big Box Stores
Make public case for local grocery store
Highlight impacts of Dollar General on local grocery store
Stress Fresh: Meat, Deli, Produce, Bakery, Local
Enact zoning ordinances preserving character of one’s community.
Write community’s comprehensive plan to protect locally-owned businesses

15. Strengthening Healthy Food Access

16. Tennessee Technical Assistance Needs
Based on Action Institute Pre-Survey
How to work with food retailers to promote healthy foods
How to get “buy in” from food retailers
How to work with food retailers

17. Tennessee Technical Assistance Needs
How to work with food retailers to promote healthy foods
Relationships
Partnerships
National initiatives move to “healthy”

18. Dollar General to Move into Healthy Food Sector

19. National Assoc. of Convenience Stores to Move into Healthy Food Sector

20. State Government and Food Wholesaler Moves into Healthy Food Sector

21. Partnerships are key: RGI Partners
Off-Campus Partners
The Food Trust
The Kansas Rural Center
The Center for Rural Affairs
U. of Minnesota Extension
U of Missouri Extension
Kansas Corporation Commission
Dozens of rural grocery stores
Associated Wholesale Grocers
NuVal, LLC
Funders: Network KS & IFF
Public Health Law Center
USDA Rural Development
The Kansas Sampler Foundation
The Reinvestment Fund
Change Lab Solutions
The Kansas Health Foundation
The Sunflower Foundation
Kansas Department of Commerce
On-Campus Partners
Agricultural Economics
Human Nutrition
Agricultural Communications
Horticulture
Sociology
Journalism/Mass Communications
History
K-State Research & Extension
Marketing
Landscape Architecture
Regional & Community Planning
Huck Boyd Rural Community Development Center
Art

22. Relevant Resources for Healthy Food Technical Assistance
Recruiting Store Owners –
Stock Health, Shop Healthy.
University of Missouri Extension
Incentives for Change: Rewarding Healthy Improvements to Small Food Stores. ChangeLab Solutions

23. Relevant Resources for Healthy Food Technical Assistance
Economic Impact of Healthy Food Programs –
Healthier Corner Stores: Positive Impacts and Profitable Changes. The Food Trust
Rural Grocery Store Start-Up and Operations Guide. Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

24. Relevant Resources for Healthy Food Technical Assistance - Building Effective Partnerships
Grocery owners
Grocery wholesalers
Center for Disease Control
Local health departments
State department of agriculture
WIC / SNAP staff
Extension
Colleges / Universities
Grocery / Convenience Store Associations
Food Policy Councils
Community Foundations
Health Foundations
USDA Rural Development
State / Local / National Non-Profits
Community Development / Healthy Food Access

25. Information Resources
Healthy Access Food Portal. The Food Trust
Rural Grocery Store Start-Up and Operations Guide. Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
content/uploads/2015/01/Grocery-Store-Start-up- and-Operations-Guide.pdf
Healthy Retail: A Set of Tools for Policy and Partnership. ChangeLab Solutions
playbook-tools
Minnesota Food Charter

26. RGI: Building Information Networks for Rural Grocers & Stakeholders
Virtual Information Networks
Rural Grocery FB / Twitter
Face-to-Face Networks
Rural Grocery Summits (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018)
Healthy Food First Collaborative: A Technical Assistance Center and Learning Laboratory
Launch Fall, 2017

27. Lessons Learned Relationships / Partnerships are key
Sustained relationships
Stay connected to state / national experts
There needs to be some kind of financing infrastructure to support stores
CDFIs
Find ways for convenings
Rely on trusted messengers
Grocery owners (peer to peer messaging)
Food wholesalers

28. Thank You Dr. David E. Procter, Director
Center for Engagement & Community Development
Kansas State University
(785)