Bluestem Mercantile
Community: Leon, KS
County: Butler County
Region: South-central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: January 2020
A school-run store is not something you find in every small town, but it was the right fit in Leon, Kansas. The Bluestem School District applied to the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative for financing to cover roof repairs, the purchase of coolers, shelving, a point-of-sale system, and the initial store inventory. The Bluestem School District received about $30,000 from the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative in a grant/loan combination.
The Bluestem Mercantile succeeds because of its ability to see educational opportunities everywhere. They’ve taken advantage of the flexibility that can exist in small towns, and they are now a model for other schools that may want to take on similar projects.
Read the complete Bluestem Mercantile Success Story here (pdf)