K-State Extension - Rural Grocery Initiative

09/03/2026

Check out this exciting new webinar series being offered by the Kansas Sampler Foundation this fall to become equipped with the tools to create welcoming, accurate, and engaging "digital front doors." Participants will be eligible to apply for $250 micro-grants to help put new ideas learned during the webinar series into practice.

This fall, we’re teaming up with Kansas Spanish Speakers and JenRus Marketing for a FREE webinar series featuring practical ways to make your online presence welcoming, accurate and easy to find.

We’ll cover simple digital tools, authentic marketing, welcoming diverse audiences, collaborating with neighboring organizations and businesses, and bringing the whole community along.

And because learning is better when you can put it into action, participants will be eligible to apply for $250 microgrants when the series has concluded.

Choose the webinars that are most relevant to your organization, business or community work. Learn more and register at
https://kansassampler.org/RuralDigitalFrontDoorTraining

Check out the graphic or link for the full lineup!

09/02/2026

Are you organizing a startup food co-op and looking for support as you work towards opening a cooperatively owned brick-and-mortar grocery store? If so, the Food Co-op Initiative's free Peer Learning Groups may be an excellent fit for you! Applications are open now for their 2027 Peer Learning Groups. Learn more and apply by September 20th here: https://fci.coop/events/peer-groups/

08/20/2026

Twice a year, the K-State Extension Community Food Systems team publishes the "Kansas Food First" magazine to showcase the inspiring success stories and hardworking food businesses thriving across Kansas. In every issue, you'll find stories of perseverance, ingenuity, and collaboration, showing the power of local food to bring people together and uplift entire communities. The latest issue features a story about our work to build a national network to support the sea change in America's rural grocery store ownership on page 7. Check it out here: https://issuu.com/douglas-county-extension/docs/kansas_food_first_-_summer_fall_2026/7

08/19/2026

Batson's Drug Store and Family Market serves the community of Howard, Kansas (pop. 516). Julie Perkins is the pharmacist and owner of the store which she purchased when it was solely a pharmacy in 1995. At that time, there were two grocery stores in town. After the last grocery store in town went out of business in 2004, Julie and her husband Patrick added onto the pharmacy and opened the grocery store in 2006. Uniquely, the store also has a soda fountain that has ben in the building since the 1920s. Read highlights from our conversation with Julie to learn more about this month's rural grocery spotlight: https://www.ruralgrocery.org/learn/rural-grocery-spotlight/batsons-drug-store-and-family-market.html

08/18/2026

Have an idea for a project that will expand healthy food access at the retail level in your community? Need support getting your project from an idea to the next stage?

The next round of the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative Predevelopment Technical Assistance Grant application is now open!

These grants can help move projects that are still in the early concept or predevelopment stages forward by supporting early stage activities such as market or feasibility research, architectural design assistance or site planning, community assessments and engagement, business planning, and legal counsel.

📅 Applications are due September 25, 2026 by 11:59 PM Central Time.

Learn more, register for optional office hours, and access the application here: https://kansashealthyfood.org/programdetails/assistance/

08/17/2026

🚨 One week left to sign up to join our next cohort of the Rural Grocery Transition Specialist program!

For people who believe keeping rural grocery stores open is essential and want to help rural community members maintain healthy food access, we offer this program to train you to walk alongside rural grocers in planning for successful transition.

Learn more and register today: https://ruralgrocery.org/specialist/

08/10/2026

We are so excited to welcome our next cohort to the Rural Grocery Transition Specialist program! For people who believe keeping rural grocery stores open is essential and want to help rural community members maintain healthy food access, we offer this program to train you to walk alongside rural grocers in planning for successful transition.

We held an information session about the program on Friday. If you missed the live session, you can catch the recording now here: https://youtu.be/w0DLFHILEh4?si=yLbKYQmQX9UMATSN

You can learn even more about the program and register by August 24th to participate in our fall cohort and join our growing national network of specialists here: https://ruralgrocery.org/specialist/

08/06/2026

🚨 There's still time to sign up for our information session about the Rural Grocery Transition Specialist program!

Rural grocery stores are closing across the country, leaving rural community members without food access. Rural grocers face many challenges every single day. As a result, planning for transition is put on the backburner which leads to more store closures. Our solution is to train resource providers across the country through this program to walk alongside rural grocers and help them prepare for transition so that their rural communities maintain access to healthy food and retain all other inherent community benefits.

👉 Register here to join us tomorrow, August 7th at 11:30 AM Central Time and learn more about if this program is the right fit for you: https://ksu.zoom.us/meeting/register/K6rVWsxnQNK6UNCR7lu0ug

08/04/2026

The next webinar in the Shelf Life series being hosted by U of MN Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships is coming up soon on August 12th at 3 PM Central Time. National grocery consultant Jeanie Wells will return for the second part of her Grocery management Basics series. She'll discuss merchandising strategies that increase sales, creating a better customer experience, managing departments more effectively, staffing and employee engagement, and building customer loyalty in rural communities. Whether you attended part one or are joining for the first time, this session will provide practical ideas you can put to work immediately. Learn more about the entire series, watch the recording from the first webinar, and find the link to register to attend all future webinars here:

A monthly webinar that addresses critical issues and opportunities facing Minnesota’s rural grocers.

07/31/2026

🚨Reminder: If you are planning on applying for an HFFI FARE Fund Grant, the deadline to submit a funding inquiry is today (Friday, July 31st) at 10:59 PM Central Time!

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative Food Access and Retail Expansion Fund (HFFI FARE Fund) is offering grants and technical assistance to support food retailers and post-harvest food retail supply chain enterprises working to improve healthy food access in underserved areas.

Learn more and apply here:

The HFFI Food Access and Retail Expansion Fund (HFFI FARE Fund) is a new program under the expanded America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative.