A community-owned grocery store is being developed in Dighton, Kansas, after the local grocery store burned down 15 months ago. Fundraising is led by the Lane County Community Foundation, with tax-exempt contributions making the project more feasible and encouraging community support. Don Hineman, rancher, farmer, and community board member, said the store will serve as a vital resource for the area, ensuring long-term sustainability and helping to combat population decline.

“Since it will be owned and operated by a subsidiary of the Community Foundation, we can be absolutely certain that it will not leave the community. We’re in a very rural area and, as everyone knows, rural Kansas is declining in population and that is certainly true for Lane County as well,” said Hineman. “We recognize that reality, and yet we know that if we do not have a grocery store then recruiting any new residents, any new workers to the community is extremely hard. So this is something we feel that we must do.”

The store’s supplier will be Affiliated Foods out of Amarillo, Texas, though Hineman said they hope to be able to access as much local production as possible. He said Affiliated Foods has been a great advisor in terms of helping guide them through the planning process and understanding exactly what they’re getting into.

The site, formerly a parking lot, is already being prepared for construction, with the goal of opening by the end of 2025 or possibly in the fall.

The foundation’s efforts were made possible by a generous donation from a local individual, marking the beginning of the community’s initiative.

“It all goes back to the beginning of the foundation, which was made possible by a bequest from a local individual who loved his hometown and passed without any heirs. His audacious request has made the entire foundation possible, and by extension this grocery store would not have been possible without his request and without the creation of the foundation,” said Hineman.

Community engagement is ongoing through town halls, social media, and outreach events, including a high school reunion in May.