For decades, many Wichita corner stores were known as places to grab a soda, a bag of chips or a quick snack on the way home.
Today, some of those same stores are stocking fresh greens, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, apples, meats and other healthy foods as part of a city-backed effort to improve food access in neighborhoods where full-service grocery stores have become increasingly scarce.
Through Wichita’s Healthy Corner Store Initiative, neighborhood markets, community organizations and local growers are working together to make fresh food more available — and more affordable — in areas that have long struggled with limited grocery options.
The initiative represents a shift in thinking. Rather than focusing on attracting another large grocery chain, city leaders are investing in businesses already serving these communities, helping them build the infrastructure, customer base and partnerships needed to offer healthier food choices for the long term.
The effort comes as many older Wichita neighborhoods continue to face challenges accessing fresh food close to home. The issue became even more visible in 2021 when the Save A Lot on Wichita’s northeast side closed, leaving many residents with fewer nearby grocery options. For seniors, families without reliable transportation and residents managing chronic health conditions, a simple grocery trip can become a significant burden.
In November 2024, the City of Wichita approved approximately $950,400 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Healthy Corner Store Initiative. The program is administered by Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute and works with neighborhood stores to expand access to fresh produce, healthier grocery items and nutrition education.
Joanna Sabally, who helps coordinate the initiative through Wichita State University, said the focus is on strengthening smaller neighborhood businesses that already have roots in the communities they serve.
“Those smaller businesses are often more invested in the neighborhood,” Sabally said. “We’re focused on who’s already there selling food and how we support them in offering healthier options.”
Today, the initiative includes about 14 participating locations across Wichita, with additional stores in the onboarding process. Wichita State reports the program helped support more than $29,000 in produce distribution through participating stores between May and August 2025, in addition to produce distributed through community market programs.
The initiative also uses produce incentives and other promotional efforts designed to encourage residents to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from neighborhood stores. Store owners say the incentives have helped introduce new customers to businesses they may not have previously visited.
“The $5 coupons generated a lot more customers that didn’t know we were here,” said Dr. Sandra Watie, co-owner of Shakey Jakes near 17th Street and Poplar.
For organizers and store owners alike, the goal is bigger than a single produce purchase. The hope is that residents who discover fresh food options close to home will continue returning long after the incentives are gone.
At Shakey Jakes, that work began long before the Healthy Corner Store Initiative existed.
Watie and her husband, Jake Watie, have operated the neighborhood store since 2014. Over the years, they have expanded their offerings to include fresh and frozen produce, meats and grocery staples while serving a neighborhood where many residents lack easy access to a supermarket.
“We’ve been here since 2014,” Watie said. “This is our village, and we have to protect the village.”
A few miles away, Mr. Mc’s Market is tackling the issue from a different direction. The store occupies the former P&P Seed and Bait location, a longtime neighborhood landmark.
Owner Quantin McIntosh has become one of the initiative’s strongest advocates, helping recruit additional stores and working to solve one of the biggest challenges facing neighborhood retailers: access to affordable produce distribution.
“A lot of smaller stores don’t meet the minimums for larger companies to deliver produce,” McIntosh said. “They don’t need $3,000 worth of watermelon — they just need 10.”
By helping stores coordinate purchases and share resources, McIntosh is working to build a network that makes it easier for smaller retailers to offer fresh foods without carrying the cost of large wholesale orders.
The initiative’s reach extends beyond traditional neighborhood markets.
At Happy Grocery, owners Maria and Forrest Shirley combine fresh produce, grocery staples and specialty foods that serve Wichita’s growing African immigrant community. Many of the vegetables sold at the store come from the couple’s own farm, where they grow greens, beans, corn and other produce.
“We both love farming,” Shirley said. “That’s why I decided to have this store, so I can always grow food and bring it.”
The initiative also includes Common Ground Producers & Growers, a nonprofit mobile market operating from the historic Pearson Farms. The organization works with growers across Kansas and delivers fresh produce to dozens of locations throughout south-central Kansas, helping expand access to affordable fruits and vegetables in both urban and rural communities.
In addition to its mobile market program, Common Ground now operates a market at Pearson Farms, open Thursday through Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. as part of the Healthy Corner Store Initiative.
Sabally said stores entering the initiative are not expected to transform overnight. Instead, they are encouraged to gradually add healthier options while building customer demand and learning what works for their neighborhoods.
“We start small and ask for incremental change over time,” she said.
Participating stores may eventually qualify for additional support, including refrigeration equipment, shelving, signage, marketing assistance and other improvements designed to help them succeed over the long term.
Sabally said the initiative was never intended to be a short-term produce campaign.
“The goal has always been to create something that lasts beyond the ARPA funding,” she said.
That long-term vision may be the initiative’s most important feature.
For the residents who rely on those stores, the effort is about more than groceries.
It is about creating healthier neighborhoods, supporting local businesses and ensuring that all Wichita families have access to the foods they need to thrive.
