Building a Stronger Future for Rural Food Access
Huber explains how small-town grocery stores, once the lifeline of rural communities, have been closing at alarming rates—dropping from 137 in 2014 to just 90 today. This leaves families trapped in food deserts, forced to travel miles for basic groceries.
The new initiative, backed by a historic $12.6 million Bush Foundation grant, seeks to reverse that trend. By creating a regional grocery and food hub model, the program aims to help rural grocery stores band together for stronger purchasing power, lower prices, and greater variety. The food hub will also connect local farmers directly to communities, keeping food dollars in rural economies while offering healthy, affordable, North Dakota-grown products like fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and grains.
This multi-year effort led by the Rural Development Finance Corporation and supported by rural cooperatives could become a blueprint for revitalizing food access across America. As Huber emphasizes, this is more than about groceries—it’s about strengthening communities, empowering local businesses, and ensuring rural families have reliable access to the food they need.
