Registration now open for 2024 National Rural Grocery Summit cohosted by Kansas State University and the Hunger Solutions Institute at Auburn University

For the first time since the creation of the National Rural Grocery Summit in 2008, the Rural Grocery Initiative at Kansas State University and the Hunger Solutions Institute at Auburn University will team up to cohost the 2024 National Rural Grocery Summit June 24-25 in Montgomery — marking the first time the summit will be held outside the state of Kansas.

Registration is now open for the National Rural Grocery Summit– the premier networking and resource-sharing venue for independent grocers and rural food access stakeholders. It brings together grocery store owners and managers, community leaders, food suppliers, academic researchers, healthy food access stakeholders, policy makers, and funders to connect, share lessons learned, and innovate around best practices for sustaining locally-owned rural grocery stores and improving access to healthy food in rural communities.

The 2024 National Rural Grocery Summit will be held at the Renaissance Hotel and Spa in Montgomery, Alabama as topics will include best practices for sustaining rural grocery stores; innovative food access solutions; funding opportunities; community engagement; local sourcing and more.

“The Hunger Solutions Institute is excited to co-host the National Rural Grocery Summit and showcase what the Southeast is doing to support rural grocers. As a past attendee of the Summit, I know what a valuable event this is for grocers, stakeholders and resource providers. Make plans to join us in Montgomery,” Alicia Powers, managing director of the Hunger Solutions Institute, said. 

Erica Blair, a program manager of K-State Research and Extension’s Rural Grocery Initiative, said the summit brings opportunities to learn innovative solutions from others across the country.

“The summit is a chance for Kansans to learn directly from others across the country who are developing innovative solutions to improve food access and sustain independent grocery stores,” Blair said. “Attendees can take these ideas back home and start implementing them in their own local stores and rural communities.”

The Rural Grocery Initiative, housed within K-State Research and Extension, aims to sustain locally-owned rural grocery stores to enhance community vitality and improve access to healthy foods by identifying, developing, and sharing resources that support grocers and rural communities.