MANHATTAN, Kan. – Summit meetings usually focus on shared issues, but not all are held in faraway places.

This year, Kansas State University will host the third in a series of rural grocery store summits, said David Procter, spokesperson for the upcoming conference, and director of K-State’s Center for Engagement and Community Development.

The 2012 edition is titled: “Strengthening Our Stores. Strengthening Our Communities” and scheduled June 5-6 at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center in Manhattan, Kan.

Access to food and the sustainability of a rural (or, in urban areas, neighborhood) grocery store is an issue that is shared by many in Kansas and elsewhere in the U.S., said Procter, who noted that previous conferences have attracted participants from more than a dozen states and generated international interest.

While a variety of food is key to personal and public health, a local grocery typically anchors a community’s business district, and that means that grocery shoppers also are likely to be customers of the local bank, restaurant, barber or beauty shop, gas station, hardware and other businesses.

A local grocery also offers local employment opportunities and generates sales taxes to support the community and its economic development, Procter said.

The upcoming conference is expected to generate discussion; provide opportunities for sharing ideas, resources and solutions that can turn challenges into opportunities that translate into take-home ideas. It should also include success stories and time for networking with others facing similar concerns, Procter said.

The Rural Grocery Summit is recommended for local grocery store owners and managers; government officials such as city and county commissioners; community development agencies, volunteer organizations, and interested citizens.

For information and registration, go to Rural Grocery Initiative or call: 1-800-432-8222 or 785-532-5569 weekdays during regular business hours.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by: Nancy Peterson
nancyp@ksu.edu
K-State Research & Extension News

David Procter is at 785-532-6868