South Central Region Projects
Below is a list of funded projects in the south central region.
Community: St. John, KS
County: Stafford
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: August 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.facebook.com/4StarHydroponics/
Community: Leon, KS
County: Butler
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: February 2020
Funding Type: Loan/grant mix
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 funds 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.
Community: Wichita, KS
County: Sedgwick
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Urban
Date Funded: March 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://commongroundpg.com/
Over the years, Wichita has seen the closure of several grocery stores, leading large pockets of the city with low access to healthy, affordable food. Although city leaders and community members have taken a strong interest in this issue, opening a new grocery store has been a slow process.
Recognizing the critical needs of her community, in 2014, Donna Pearson McClish founded Common Ground Producers and Growers, a nonprofit mobile market that works with a network of local producers to move fresh food into the areas that need it most. Its guiding mission: “All are fed. No one is hungry.”
In March 2021, Common Ground received funding from the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative to build the capacity of several local producers that supply food to the mobile market. The grant was used to purchase wash stations, harvest wagons, irrigation supplies, and other materials to improve the cultivation and distribution of fresh produce. Common Ground continues to expand its farmer network in order to increase fresh food offerings at the mobile market.
Read the full Common Ground Producers and Growers Success Story (pdf)
Community: Caldwell, KS
County: Sumner
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: June 2022
Funding Type: Grant
Ediger’s Foods is located in South Central Kansas. The current Point of Sales system was 6 years old and needed an upgrade to keep up with the latest features and offerings. Funding from KHFI was used to purchase a new Point of Sales system, allowing Ediger’s Foods to continue to provide SNAP and WIC to their customers. It also gives the store the opportunity to potentially participate in Double up Food Bucks in the future.
Community: Goessel, KS
County: Marion
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: April 2022
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.facebook.com/goesselgrocerydelillc/
Goessel Grocery & Deli LLC is located in South Central Kansas. The last upgrade to the POS System was 8 to 9 years ago, some equipment was completely obsolete or did not work at all. With the new POS System, the store was able to better serve their community and serve low income and low resource customers. Also to better serve their customers, the store was able to purchase a new cooler to provide more fresh produce options. Grant funding was used for a point of sale upgrade and purchasing a new cooler.
Community: Norwich, KS
County: Kingman
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: September 2023
Funding Type: Loan/grant mix
The applicant is planning and working to build a geothermal greenhouse that will be able to provide the community access to fresh produce year-round by supplying produce to the local grocery store, Norwich Fresh Market and potentially selling at the local farmers’ market. Funds are being requested to purchase materials for a greenhouse kit. The unit will be cooled in the summer and heated through the winter using naturally heated/cooled air circulated through the unit.
Community: Wichita, KS
County: Sedgwick
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Urban
Date Funded: June 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Johnson’s Farms is a specialty crop producer in the Wichita area that currently sells to Common Ground Mobile Market. The request for funding will allow Johnson's Farms to expand her growing area. Grant funds used to fund construction of water well that will allow applicant to expand produce production and for construction of a storage shed.
Community: Kinsley, KS
County: Edwards
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: October 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.kinsleyfoodpride.com/
Kinsley Food Pride is located in South Central Kansas. The systems in the store had not been upgraded since 2005. The business needed to get new front-end registers and scanning systems. With the updated system, they were able to participate in local programs, such as Double Up Food Bucks, offer promotions and if work on the programs needed to be done, RDS could complete the services. The grant funding was used for point of sale system upgrades.
Community: Arkansas City, KS
County: Cowley
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: January 2022
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.facebook.com/LaHaciendaGreenhouse/
Arkansas City is located in South Central Kansas in Cowley County. The south end of the community did not have a grocery store to serve senior and low-income apartments in addition to two small housing communities located south of the city limits. Prior to opening the grocery store, the owner had a vegetable stand but wanted to move to a permanent location to serve the residents residing in this area. The grant funding was used for purchasing coolers and shelving.
Community: Anthony, KS
County: Harper
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: October 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Larrys-Hometown-Market-1633654470183435/
Larry’s Hometown Market needed new software and equipment that were more compatible with low-income customers. This grant allowed for the purchase of a new program that is easier and faster check out, along with the grocery store being able to purchase more healthy food. The grant funding was used for point of sale system upgrade.
Community: Stafford, KS
County: Stafford
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: September 2022
Funding Type: Grant
Main Street Market and Deli is in south central Kansas. The current deli and produce space cannot accommodate the needs of the community due to size. With KHFI funding, bigger produce refrigerators were purchased and an expansion of the deli took place. This allows the store to carry more produce for the community and have more variety in lunch options in the deli.
Community: Peabody, KS
County: Marion
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: May 2019; July 2021
Funding Type: Loan/grant mix; T.A. grant
Website: https://www.facebook.com/PeabodyMarketKansas/
The Peabody Market has been in operation for more than 40 years. The store offers fresh produce and freshly cut meats. The new owner of Peabody Market, Catherine Gilley, took over the store in 2018 when the previous owner wanted to close the store after a sudden death in his family. Gilley brings decades of experience in banking, finance, business management and administration. The Kansas Healthy Food Initiative provided the Peabody Market with a loan and a grant to help with operational costs, increasing fresh food access, and replacement of old freezers. Through this funding, the Peabody Market will continue to provide healthy food options to Peabody and Marion County.
“The store is a valuable asset to the small community of Peabody. If the store were to close, the start-up cost of a brand-new market would likely be cost prohibitive.”
– Catherine Gilley, Peabody Market
Community: Wichita, KS
County: Sedgwick
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Urban
Date Funded: March 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://commongroundpg.com/pearson-family-farm/
Pearson’s Farms is located in Northeast Wichita and has been operating for more than 50 years. They grow all kinds of produce: tomatoes, corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, okra, beans, collard greens, spinach, sweet potatoes, onions, squash, etc. This produce is sold largely to the Common Ground Mobile Market; they also sell directly on their farm, in stores, and to elderly customers who get produce delivered to their homes. In addition, Pearson’s Farms regularly offers educational opportunities through farm tours, apprenticeships, and classes. The grant funding provided by KHFI was used to purchase materials to upgrade the water system.
Community: Marquette, KS
County: McPherson
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: October 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://pipersfoods.com/
Piper’s Fine Foods is in Southcentral Kansas, were looking to upgrade their point of sale system. The store had two lanes, the equipment at each is between 5 and 7 years old. This upgrade also helped with providing more accurate pricing, speed the tracking of inventory, in turn made the store more efficient and profitable. The grant funding was used for point of sale system updates.
Community: Protection, KS
County: Comanche
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: March 2019
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.facebook.com/protectioncommunityventure/
Protection Community Venture in Protection is a grocery store that reopened as a community-owned store in 2010 after the previous owners retired. Community members are shareholders of the store and its board of directors is made up of local business owners who operate manufacturing, retail, and production agriculture businesses in the area. When the community purchased the store, it included outdated refrigeration and cooling equipment, from as far back as the 1960s. Protection Community Venture received a grant from the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative in addition to USDA REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) funding to upgrade older freezers and coolers and to install energy efficient lighting. Through this grant, the Protection Community Venture store will decrease utility costs and product loss from inefficient cooling, and also provide their customers a reliable source of fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat and dairy products.
“The State of Kansas benefits when Protection Community Venture and other local businesses are able to collaborate efforts to make their community function in a viable manner.”
– Protection Community Venture
Community: Cassoday; Matfield Green; Burns, KS
County: Butler; Chase; Marion
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: April 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://rommeyfarms.com/
Rommey Farms Mobile Market plans to launch a mobile market that serves 3 rural towns by providing access to fresh, local produce and supports local businesses by sourcing from local farms. Grant funding provided was used to lease outdoor walk-in cooler to store produce for farm stand and delivery routes.
Community: Harper, KS
County: Harper
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: November 2022
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.spkgrocery.com/
SPK Grocery is located in South-Central Kansas. The current cooler space did not allow much space for produce and did not provide space for Hispanic foods. With KHFI Funding, additional coolers were bought. This allows the store to provide fresh Hispanic foods and to expand their produce section.
Community: Hutchinson, KS
County: Reno
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Urban
Date Funded: October 2019; March 2021
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.teckfarms.com/
Teck Farms is a six-acre urban farm that grows a wide variety of produce: tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, okra, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, asparagus, beets, and radishes. With the farm continuing to expand, they were in need of a larger storage and handling space. Using a KHFI grant, they built a 1,200 square foot post-harvest facility, complete with sinks, three walk-in coolers, and an office. The facility allows them to wash, dry, and package produce before delivering to local grocery stores. An additional grant provided funding to purchase materials and labor and cover construction costs for a permant farm stand at the farm.
Community: Wichita, KS
County: Sedgwick
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Urban
Date Funded: May 2021
Funding Type: Grant
The BaM Group LLC is expanding to supply fresh produce and eggs to Common Ground Mobile Market, which delivers healthy food to numerous low resources and underserved locations. For about five years, the farm, located on five acres in Valley Center, has been growing peaches, tomatoes, peppers, bell peppers, corn, and other produce. Much of this has been donated to the Iasis Christian Center, which operates a food pantry on Thursdays. Recently, the farm has also started beekeeping and raising chickens for eggs. Grant funding from KHFI was used to scale up production and reach other markets (including Common Ground and, in the future, several other Wichita farmers markets) and to construct a water well for irrigation.
Community: Lewis, KS
County: Edwards
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: November 2022
Funding Type: Grant
The PitStop is located in Central Kansas. The community was without healthy food options, besides a small restaurant that is only open part-time. With KHFI Funding, coolers, equipment and initial inventory were purchased. This allows the business to provide the small community with healthy food items.
Community: Maize, KS
County: Sedgwick
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Urban
Date Funded: August 2022
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://victorygardensmaize.com/
Victory Gardens is located in south-central Kansas. The current space Victory Gardens were using for processing, storage and distribution of produce was limiting how much they could produce. Funding from KHFI was used to acquire one permanent structure and one mobile structure to fit the business’s needs. It also gives the business room to increase production to support Common Ground.
Community: St. John, KS
County: Stafford
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: March 2018
Funding Type: Grant
Website: https://www.whitesfoodliner.com/
When the Dillon’s Food Store closed in St. John, the city appointed six community members to a Grocery Store Task Force to consider the community’s options. Stafford County Economic Development played a key role in identifying funding options for building a new grocery store in St. John. “Having a grocery store is a critical part of keeping your town viable,” says Carolyn Dunn, Executive Director of Stafford County Economic Development. In addition to several other funding partners, the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative provided a challenge grant to support the initiative. The store, owned by the city of St. John and operated by White’s Foodliner, opened in October of 2018. The full-service store has a wide-variety of produce, fresh meat and refrigerated fresh food. It also has a deli and shares space with Stafford County Drug. One unique contribution to the community is the grocery store’s conference room that is open and available for community groups to use.
“The big picture is not the cost of [building] the store in the first place. It’s the economic benefit to the town.”
– Carolyn Dunn, Stafford County Economic Development
Community: Yoder, KS
County: Reno
Region: South Central
Geographical context: Rural
Date Funded: January 2024
Funding Type: Loan/grant mix
Website: https://yodermeatsks.com/
Yoder Meats offers custom processing of locally-sourced meat. The company is expanding to meet demand. It will use KHFI funds to construct a refrigerated warehouse for meat products that are then distributed to their retail stores in Yoder, Wichita, and Lawrence, as well as other grocery stores partners.