Rural Grocery Store Initiative ruralgrocery'org

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Rural Grocery Store Initiativeruralgrocery.org

• How we got here?
• The KS Samplers interest
• The creation of CECD
• Forming our team
• Funding from USDA Rural Development
• Your willingness to pitch in

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Rural Grocery Store Initiative

• The Partners
• K-States Center for Engagement and Community
  Development
• USDA Rural Development
• KS Sampler Foundation
• Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural
  Development
• K-States Dept. of Ag Econ
• K-States Dept. of Marketing
• Grocery stores in Alma, Florence, Gove, Onaga,
  and Potwin

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Rural Grocery Store Initiative

• Confronting issues of business retention,
  nutrition, and community development, CECD and
  our partners seek to, identify and develop models
  to sustain retail sources of food for rural
  Kansas citizens.

• Project
• Overview

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Rural Grocery Store Initiative

• Survey customer needs and expectations in five
  customer areas
• Gove
• Alma
• Onaga
• Potwin
• Florence
• Survey rural grocers statewide (in towns of less
  than 2,000)
• Create list of rural grocer best practices
• Create a rural grocery website

• Project
• Goals

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Rural Grocery Store Initiative

• Created web site
• Resources for rural grocers
• Food suppliers
• Food networks
• Relevant research
• Grocer best practices
• Funding opportunities
• Special Events
• Relevant news
• Support organizations
• Forum page

• ruralgrocery.org

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Rural Grocery Store Initiative

• Why are we here?
• Present results of statewide surveys
• Provide opportunities for networking
• With other store owners, resource providers
• Provide opportunity to speak out
• Identify those sig. issues holding stores back
• Brainstorm big ideas and next steps to
  address those issues
• To find ways to help sustain small town grocery
  stores and rural communities!

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Rural Grocery Store Initiative

• Groundrules
• Try and keep comments short
• Focus on solutions
• Please dont attack about other stores, resource
  providers, and especially the moderator
• Were here to understand and solve, not debate
  and complain