Another small-town success story, starring K-State’s Rural Grocery Initiative.
It’s hard to overstate the benefits a grocery store brings to a rural community. More than a store, these businesses serve as places for neighbors to connect and are often irreplaceable sources of tax revenue.
Grocery stores are crucial components for rural towns fighting to survive, so the people of Dighton, Kansas, were devastated to lose theirs to a fire in 2024. Residents were ready to rally, but where would they start?
It’s a daunting undertaking, but that’s what collectives like the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative and K-State Extension’s Rural Grocery Initiative are for.
THE RECIPE FOR REOPENING
With guidance from RGI — and a lot of community action — Dighton celebrated the opening of Lane County Community Grocery in June 2026.
The facility is run by a board of directors and sustained by the county’s community foundation, which purchases stock and dividends in the store. This innovative setup is a telltale feature of RGI’s Rural Grocery Toolkit, which helps communities establish new grocery stores through a tried-and-true five-step framework.
“We knew the minute the store burned down in 2024 that the only way a grocery store would ever exist in Lane County was if there was a nonprofit involved, because of exorbitant construction and equipment costs,” said Casey Venters, executive director of the Lane County Community Foundation. “It’s really awesome to have those resources — you go to a website and what you need to know is all spelled out for you.”
FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR
Dighton may have been without a grocery store for two years, but it didn’t pass the time sitting on its laurels.
Residents filled the gap by assisting neighbors who couldn’t make the 23-mile drive to the nearest alternative in Scott City. Randy Evans, owner of the local meat locker, even drove more than 200 miles twice a week to stock it with produce, meat, dairy, bread and more.
And it was all worth the effort, especially considering its impact on residents like 99-year-old Marjory James.
“For sure, traveling to a nearby town was not something I could do by myself anymore. Being able to go just a few blocks to get what I needed is so good,” she said. “Families go through so much food and the basics are important — fruits, vegetables, milk, meats … you can’t run out of town every few days to pick those up. But having a grocery store in town means money is spent here. A store adds jobs, and the biggest thing is, as a small town, it keeps us going.”
FEED THE FRAMEWORK
Rural grocery stores nourish Kansas communities in more ways than one, and RGI is leading the charge in the fight against food deserts.
Support K-State’s Rural Grocery Initiative.
Curated from K-State Rural Grocery Initiative helps restore food access in Dighton