K-State program to help rural grocery stores stay open

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Kansas State University Research and Extension is launching a program to prevent rural grocery stores from closing and keep small towns alive.

Thousands of Kansans are stranded in food deserts without an adequate place to get groceries, and research from K-State shows many stores are closing.

The new online course from K-State is part of its rural grocery initiative, which trains service providers and economic developers to transition ownership so stores don’t close.

When its only grocery store closed, the town of La Crosse learned it’s not just a place to buy food. It’s an essential service.

“That put a lot of people in danger, especially the elderly, with having to travel to Hays or Great Bend, you know, you’re looking at 30-minute to 45-minute drives to grocery stores,” said Pat Baalmann, owner of B’s Hometown Market. “It put a lot of scare in a lot of people.”

After seeing the urgent need in his community, Pat Baalmann left his job to buy what’s now B’s Hometown Market.

“We’re here for the community. We’re not here to get rich,” said Baalmann. “We’re not going to get rich.”

Grocery stores are a necessity in underserved rural areas, according to K-State Research and Extension.

However, they’re dying out in more places than La Crosse

“Between 2008 and 2018, a 10-year period, 1 in 5 rural grocery stores in Kansas closed,” said Hannah Jenkins, program administrator of K-State’s Rural Grocery Initiative.

A big reason is the aging ownership of the stores, according to Jenkins.

People are retiring without transferring ownership.

“If we can prevent it from closing and having to reopen under someone else, that is going to be much easier for the community, and then they don’t lose access to food,” Jenkins said.

“In our community, we have to have a grocery store,” Baalmann said. “Every day we learn, we get a lot of thanks and praises, but it’s for the community.”

The course from K-State will officially be offered in January.