Rural Grocery Initiative

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

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"Over the past 25 years, Dollar General stores have become a fixture of the retail landscape in rural Nebraska. In 2000,...
07/29/2025

"Over the past 25 years, Dollar General stores have become a fixture of the retail landscape in rural Nebraska. In 2000, the only Dollar Generals in the state were in Omaha and Lincoln, according to a Flatwater Free Press analysis of Nebraska grocery store permits.

Now, there are 142 chain “dollar” stores — 115 of them Dollar Generals — located in Nebraska towns with a population smaller than 10,000.

In that same amount of time, the number of grocery stores in those small cities and villages has shrunk from 326 to 272."

Over the past 25 years, Dollar General stores have become a fixture of the retail landscape in rural Nebraska. Now, there are 142 chain “dollar” stores — 115 of them Dollar Generals — in Nebraska towns with a population smaller than 10,000.

We are grateful to get to work with many outstanding independent grocers! Check out this opportunity to be recognized fo...
07/29/2025

We are grateful to get to work with many outstanding independent grocers! Check out this opportunity to be recognized for your innovation, operational excellence, and strong community engagement.

🏆 Progressive Grocer's 15th annual Outstanding Independents awards program is now open!!

Who’s Eligible?
💠Any North American grocery retailer, whether a single unit or a small chain, that is independently owned and operated
💠Publicly held independents with fewer than 250 stores

🌟 Stores must demonstrate innovation, operational excellence and strong community engagement throughout 2025.

🏪 Tell Us Why Your Grocery Store Is Outstanding!!

Submit your nomination 👉 https://progressivegrocer.com/tell-us-why-your-grocery-store-outstanding?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PG_VIRT_2025_07_22_&code=OI26

Did you know we have a monthly newsletter? We just released our latest one! You can view the latest edition of "Rural Gr...
07/28/2025

Did you know we have a monthly newsletter? We just released our latest one! You can view the latest edition of "Rural Grocery Stories" here: mailchi.mp/ksu.edu/rural-grocery-stories-july-2025.

To sign up to receive future editions of our newsletter directly in your inbox, visit ruralgrocery.org/about/newsletter.html.

The deadline to register for the fall 2025 cohort of our Rural Grocery Transition Specialist program is just one month a...
07/25/2025

The deadline to register for the fall 2025 cohort of our Rural Grocery Transition Specialist program is just one month away! Learn more and register today at https://www.ruralgrocery.org/specialist/

Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, combines farmers’ markets with the convenience of a grocery store, selling only ...
07/17/2025

Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, combines farmers’ markets with the convenience of a grocery store, selling only locally produced food. This model supports small farms with better margins and has grown significantly in recent years.

A farm stop in Ann Arbor, Mich., has found success with its local-first approach. But is the model replicable?

In several rural Kansas communities, municipally-owned stores have emerged as one strategy to maintain food access for r...
07/15/2025

In several rural Kansas communities, municipally-owned stores have emerged as one strategy to maintain food access for residents.

“It’s a retention strategy, but it’s also a recruitment strategy.” -- Rial Carver, program leader at Kansas State University’s Rural Grocery Initiative

Small towns have tried public grocery stores. How would they fare in a major city?

This summer, the Backing Small Businesses grant program, supported by American Express, will offer 400 grants of $10,000...
07/15/2025

This summer, the Backing Small Businesses grant program, supported by American Express, will offer 400 grants of $10,000 to locally significant small businesses pursuing projects that enhance long-term resilience, promote sustainable growth, and strengthen their positive impact within the community.

Applications will open on Wednesday, July 16 at 9:00 a.m. CT and close on Thursday, July 31 at 11:59 p.m. CT.

The Backing Small Businesses grant program, supported by American Express, supports locally significant small businesses facing economic hardship.

Now there is a new way to stay connected with the Rural Grocery Initiative – on LinkedIn! Follow us and join our growing...
07/14/2025

Now there is a new way to stay connected with the Rural Grocery Initiative – on LinkedIn! Follow us and join our growing community committed to strengthening rural food access and local economies.

Rural Grocery Initiative | 98 followers on LinkedIn. Sustaining locally-owned rural grocery stores to enhance community vitality and improve food access. | The Rural Grocery Initiative aims to sustain locally-owned rural grocery stores to enhance community vitality and improve access to healthy food...

Researchers at the USDA Economic Research Service found that while many U.S. households live close to at least one food ...
07/10/2025

Researchers at the USDA Economic Research Service found that while many U.S. households live close to at least one food store, access to multiple stores—and thus greater food choice and price competition—varies widely across the country. Rural areas, especially in the Great Plains and Southwest, are more likely to be near just one food store and much farther from alternatives.

Distance from a person’s home to the nearest food store (supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store) is one way to measure the ease of access to a major source of a variety of healthy foods. However, a food store with no nearby competitors may not offer the best price, quality, or selection ...

North Dakota lawmakers have allocated $1 million in grants to help grocery stores in rural towns improve food access and...
07/09/2025

North Dakota lawmakers have allocated $1 million in grants to help grocery stores in rural towns improve food access and upgrade facilities.

Small communities in North Dakota can soon apply for grant money to support their grocery stores.

PrairieLand Market’s new store in Salina, Kansas, features a commercial kitchen for daily prepared meals, cooking classe...
07/07/2025

PrairieLand Market’s new store in Salina, Kansas, features a commercial kitchen for daily prepared meals, cooking classes, and expanded CSA services with local produce. Vickee Spicer, Executive Director of the nonprofit grocery store, gave us a tour and shared about the community's passion for supporting local and organic food. Read highlights from the interview.

Vickee Spicer is the Executive Director at PrairieLand Market. She gave us a tour of their new store and shared the community's passion for supporting local and organic food in Salina, Kansas. Read highlights from our interview with her below.

J’s Grocery in Clarksdale, Mississippi, recently reopened with a new focus on fresh produce, thanks to a partnership wit...
07/02/2025

J’s Grocery in Clarksdale, Mississippi, recently reopened with a new focus on fresh produce, thanks to a partnership with local farmers and nonprofits aiming to improve food access in the region. As the only Black-owned supermarket in the area, it now serves as both a source of culturally relevant nutrition and a community hub, reviving the town’s legacy of neighborhood corner stores.

Through a new food-access initiative, J’s Grocery provides its Clarksdale community with hard-to-come-by crops

Address

919 MidCampus Drive North
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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