Rural Grocery Initiative

Rural Grocery Initiative RGI aims to sustain locally-owned rural groceries to enhance community vitality & access to healthy food.

Welcome to the official Kansas State University Rural Grocery Initiative Facebook account! We encourage thoughtful discussion and interaction relevant to the purpose of the page. The purpose of Kansas State University social media pages is limited to focusing on the university's mission, goals, and programs. Content must be relevant to the topic discussed, relevant to this particular page, and to

the point. Content that is excessively long or repetitive is subject to removal. Content that is profane, threatening, obscene, a violation of intellectual property rights or privacy laws, creating a security or privacy risk, spam, defamatory, infringing on another person's rights, commercial advertising by a third party, otherwise violates local, county, state or federal laws, or incites or solicits illegal conduct or violence, is prohibited. By posting content to the site, you represent that you own or otherwise have all the rights necessary to lawfully use that content and/or that the use of the content is permitted by fair use, as applicable. The university reserves the right to remove any material for nonconformity with this policy. Users acknowledge that the security of the site cannot be guaranteed, that use of the site is voluntary, and assume the risks associated with such use, releasing and holding harmless the university from any and all claims related thereto. The university does not necessarily endorse, support, agree with, or verify the validity of the content shared on its social media sites by users. The appearance of comments, external hyperlinks, or any information contained within "follows", "likes", "retweets" and similar actions on social media pages do not necessarily constitute endorsement or support by the university. If you have questions, please contact [email protected].

The Rural Grocery Initiative is hiring! The Rural Grocery Program Manager will help advance K-State’s healthy food acces...
10/24/2025

The Rural Grocery Initiative is hiring! The Rural Grocery Program Manager will help advance K-State’s healthy food access initiatives. This position will be part of K-State’s effort to build and sustain healthy communities by working to enhance locally owned small healthy food retail businesses. The program manager will organize and provide technical assistance for citizen leaders, grocery owners, and other stakeholders seeking to enhance their community's access to healthy foods.

For best consideration, apply by November 12, 2025. View the full position description and apply here: https://careers.k-state.edu/jobs/rural-grocery-program-manager-manhattan-kansas-united-states.

Registration is now open for the spring 2026 offering of our Rural Grocery Transition Specialist course! Supporting rura...
10/20/2025

Registration is now open for the spring 2026 offering of our Rural Grocery Transition Specialist course! Supporting rural grocers in business transition planning is essential to keeping the benefits of hometown grocery stores in rural communities. This course trains individuals to support rural grocers through business transition. Graduates join our national network of rural grocery specialists and earn a microcredential from Kansas State University. To learn more and register, visit https://www.ruralgrocery.org/specialist/.

We are excited to announce our first keynote speaker for the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit: Jon Steinman!Jon is a f...
10/13/2025

We are excited to announce our first keynote speaker for the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit: Jon Steinman!

Jon is a food systems thinker, author, and educator with a 25-year career shaping how communities engage with food. In his opening keynote, Jon will explore how rural grocery owners and stakeholders can more effectively communicate their essential value to customers, communities, policymakers, funders, and partners. To learn more about our opening keynote speaker, visit https://www.ruralgrocery.org/summit/speakers.html.

In case you missed it, we are hosting a webinar tomorrow to share the key findings from our recent research project focu...
10/01/2025

In case you missed it, we are hosting a webinar tomorrow to share the key findings from our recent research project focused on local sourcing innovation in independent and locally owned groceries. There is still time to register here: https://ksu.zoom.us/meeting/register/8rH0Iu_NRoquv8UrXrhEPA

With 1 in 5 rural grocery stores closing in Kansas between 2008 and 2018, local access to healthy food is under threat. ...
09/30/2025

With 1 in 5 rural grocery stores closing in Kansas between 2008 and 2018, local access to healthy food is under threat. But stories from communities like Axtell, Blue Rapids, and McCune show how local investment and support from the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative can make a real difference in food security and community vitality. Learn more in the article below.

More than 100 rural grocery stores in Kansas closed their doors from 2008 to 2018. But an initiative that invests in rural communities is keeping small groceries afloat.

09/29/2025

The National Grocers Association is hosting a learning opportunity for grocery retailers on October 1st from 1:30-2:30 PM CT. 💻 This informational session will help grocers understand how EBT card skimming fraud occurs and the impact on SNAP customers and store operations. Participants will learn how skimming attacks are carried out, the warning signs to watch for, and practical steps to reduce risk. Learn more and register here: b4b21d4c-95da-4a36-acc4-58d6b483012a@a2b13bee-5ba6-4793-b2d2-a261b63f4797" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b4b21d4c-95da-4a36-acc4-58d6b483012a@a2b13bee-5ba6-4793-b2d2-a261b63f4797

09/29/2025

🚨 DEADLINE EXTENDED 🚨

Interested in presenting at the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit? We just extended the deadline to submit your proposal to October 15th! Learn more and submit your proposal here: https://www.ruralgrocery.org/summit/proposals/

When local grocery stores close, community residents face long drives, fewer healthy food options, and a weakened sense ...
09/25/2025

When local grocery stores close, community residents face long drives, fewer healthy food options, and a weakened sense of community. A recent article from MinnPost builds on the importance of local grocery stores by sharing stories from three small-town grocery stores in Minnesota. Learn more about what happens when grocery stores close in that article linked below.

Small-town grocery store owners feel a strong sense of responsibility to their communities, but the threat of closure often looms.

Interested in submitting a proposal to present at the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit? Don't wait until the last minu...
09/24/2025

Interested in submitting a proposal to present at the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit? Don't wait until the last minute! The deadline to submit your proposal is just one week away on October 1st. Learn more and submit your proposal today at https://www.ruralgrocery.org/summit/proposals/

Address

Manhattan, KS
66506

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

(785) 532-6868

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