Month: June 2017

Large effort underway here to help feed kids this summer

D. Keith Jordan was giving out sack lunches to youth today at Emerson Park, 27th and Strong Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas, in connection with a Harvesters’ Kids Café program sponsored by Ivanhoe Lodge and Abdallah Shrine. Today was the first day of their summer meals program. Jordan is running for mayor. (Staff photo)

Groups are making an extra effort to help feed children this summer in Wyandotte County.

Several groups have food programs this year, including the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools district, local churches, nonprofits and charitable agencies.

Today, different programs were operating to get a free lunch to anyone 18 and younger in the area. There were no requirements to meet except the age limit.

‘A definite need’

“There is a definite need,” said Gene Hallinan, spokeswoman for Harvesters food bank. “The biggest thing about summertime is the kids aren’t getting the free breakfast or lunch at schools.”

That can be a big hardship on families, she said, as it is estimated that it might cost $300 more a month for families to provide all these meals during the summer.

About 10 Kids Café programs are operating in Wyandotte County through Harvesters food bank, Hallinan said. The Kids Cafe programs are sponsored by different organizations. She said there is an effort to work together on the part of those providing assistance.

“Of the 364,000 people who turn to Harvesters for emergency food assistance, nearly 20 percent of them are children,” said Valerie Nicholson-Watson, president and chief executive officer of Harvesters, in a news release. “Through our childhood hunger programs like Kids Cafe, we are reaching out specifically to those children in need in our community. Kids should not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.”

Lunch in the park

D. Keith Jordan and a volunteer were giving out Harvesters’ Kids Café sack lunches at Emerson Park, 27th and Strong, earlier today, the first day of their summer program. Jordan, who is running for mayor, has volunteered this year and last year to provide food to children during the summer at selected sites in Wyandotte County and also in Kansas City, Mo.

The sack lunches today included cheddar cheese cups, sunflower seeds, fruit, and other items. When a box of sack lunches ran out, the next group of sack lunches included sun butter mix, crackers, applesauce, punch and other items. Yesterday’s sack lunch menu included a barbecued chicken dish.

Altogether, he had given out 31 sack lunches to children today, after a little less than an hour.

Jordan said his program, sponsored by Ivanhoe Lodge and Abdallah Shrine, is open to children 0-18 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., weather permitting, on each Tuesday from June 6 through Aug. 1 at Emerson Park, 2717 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

He and his group also are giving out free lunches to ages 0-18 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Thursdays, June 8 through Aug. 3, at Waterway Park, 708 Waterway Drive, Kansas City, Kansas.

According to Harvesters, Kids Café is funded through the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The food bank also receives private donations. Nonprofit sponsoring organizations often contribute funds to the effort.

Lunch at the recreation center

Tina Tinsley was staffing a kids’ meal site today at the Argentine Community Center, 2810 Metropolitan Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Boxed nutritious lunches were available for children 1-18 years old. This meal site is through the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools’ summer food program. (Staff photo)

Tina Tinsley had boxed lunches prepared for children, ready to go today at the Argentine Community Center, 2810 Metropolitan Ave. The meals program for children 1-18 years old is held every day at the recreation center. Tinsley is with the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools’ summer food program.

She said the meals are balanced and meet nutrition requirements. Today, children had a boxed lunch including yogurt, a muffin, carrot sticks and other items.

The school district program is separate from the Harvesters’ Kids’ Cafe, and the school district has about 50 meal sites for kids in Kansas City, Kansas, expected to serve about 4,000 students, according to district information. A mobile food truck from the school district serves its sites.

The school district’s summer meals program was coordinated by the school district and Healthy Communities Wyandotte, and received funding from a Cities Combating Hunger through Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs grant, according to district information.

KCKPS summer meal sites

Meal sites are located in all parts of Wyandotte County. The school district’s summer meal sites include many schools, some recreation centers, some libraries, and other locations. Many include breakfast. Among the sites:

• Argentine Community Center, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 9 a.m. breakfast, 11 to noon, lunch.
• Argentine Middle School, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-8:30 a.m. breakfast, 12:30-1 p.m. lunch.
• Armourdale Community Center, Monday through Friday, 9:15-9:45 a.m. breakfast, noon-1 p.m. lunch.
• Arrowhead Middle School, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 12:30-1 p.m. lunch.
• Banneker Elementary, Monday through Friday, 8 to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch.
• Belrose Manor, Monday through Friday, 9 to 10 a.m. breakfast, noon to 1 p.m. lunch.
• Bethany Park, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. lunch.
• Caruthers Elementary, Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30 to 9 a.m. breakfast, noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch.
• Chalet Manor, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 1 p.m. lunch.
• Coronado Middle School, Monday through Friday, 7:30 to 8 a.m. breakfast, 11:30 to 12:20 p.m. lunch.
• Cyrus K. Holliday, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. breakfast, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. lunch.
• Douglass Heights, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. breakfast, noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch.
• Eisenhower Community Center, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to noon, lunch.
• Eugene Ware Elementary, Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 11:30 to noon lunch.
• Frances Willard Elementary, Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. lunch.
• Gateway Plaza, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. breakfast, 1 to 2 p.m. lunch.
• Hazel Grove Elementary, Monday through Thursday, 8:20 to 9 a.m. breakfast, 11:50 to 12:30 p.m. lunch.
• Heathwood spray park, Monday through Friday, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. lunch.
• JFK Community Center, Monday through Friday, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. lunch.
• JFK Elementary School, Monday through Thursday, 11:15 to 11:45 a.m. lunch.
• Juniper Gardens, Monday through Friday, 9 to 10:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 1:30 p.m. lunch
• KCKECC, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. breakfast, 11:55 to 12:20 p.m. lunch.
• Main Library, Monday through Friday, noon to 12:45 p.m. lunch.
• Mark Twain Elementary, Monday through Friday, 8:15 to 9 a.m. breakfast, noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch.
• Pearson Elementary, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch.
• Northwest Middle School, Monday through Thursday, 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 12:30-1 p.m. lunch.
• PACES, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. breakfast, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. lunch.
• Parkwood pool, Tuesday through Friday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. lunch.
• Quindaro Community Center, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch.
• Quindaro Elementary, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 11:30 to noon lunch.
• Rosedale Middle School, Monday through Thursday, 8 to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 12:30 to 1 p.m. lunch.
• Roswell Church of Christ, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 1 p.m. lunch.
• Schlagle High School, Monday through Thursday, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 1 p.m. lunch.
• Silver City Apartments, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. breakfast, 1 to 2 p.m. lunch.
• Splitlog Farm, Monday through Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. lunch.
• St. Margaret Park, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. breakfast, noon to 1 p.m. lunch.
• St. Peter CME, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 1 p.m. lunch.
• Stony Point North Elementary, Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 11:30 to noon lunch.
• Strawberry Hill Farmer’s Market, Wednesdays, 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. lunch.
• Edison Elementary, Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 to 9 a.m. breakfast.
• William Allen White Elementary, Monday through Thursday, 8 to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, 12:30 to 1 p.m. lunch.
• Welborn Elementary, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 to 9 a.m. breakfast, 12:30 to 1 p.m. lunch.
• West Wyandotte Library, Monday through Friday, noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch.
• Whittier Elementary, Monday through Friday, 8 to 8:30 a.m. breakfast, noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch.

For more information including dates that each site will open, visit the list at http://www.kckcafe.com/index.php?sid=1467922483626&page=summer.

Both the Kids’ Café and the school district programs have brightly colored signs identifying them at sites throughout the county.

Harvesters’ Kids Café sites

Many Harvesters’ Kids Café programs are opening this week and next week. Pre-registration is not required and anyone 18 and younger can walk in and receive a free meal. Many will provide meals through mid-August. A list of sites is on the Harvesters’ website at https://www.harvesters.org/Get-Help/Service-Locator.

The Wyandotte County sites for Kids Café include:

• Bethel Neighborhood Center, 14 S. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe begins June 12 and will end Aug. 10; Meals are served Monday-Thursday from noon-12:30 p.m.
• Kansas Academy of Theatrical Arts, 2600 N. 72nd, Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe began June 5 and will end July 13; Meals are served Monday-Thursday from 11:20 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Rainbow Mennonite Church, 1444 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe begins June 12 and will end July 21; Meals are served Monday-Friday from 8-8:30 a.m. and from 12-1 p.m.
• Turner Recreation Commission, 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe began June 1 and will end Aug. 4; Meals are served Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Oak Ridge Youth Development, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe begins June 12 and will end July 21; Meals are served Monday-Friday from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• 8th Street Family YMCA, 900 N. 8th St., Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe began June 1 and will end Aug. 11; Meals are served on Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. and on Thursday from 4:15-6 p.m.
• Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, 1613 Wilson Blvd., Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe begins June 12 and will end July 16; Meals are served Monday-Saturday from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Emerson Park, 2717 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe began June 6 and will end Aug. 2; Meals are served on Tuesday from 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
• Providence YMCA, 8601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe began June 1 and will end Aug. 11; Meals are served Monday and Wednesday from 1-2 p.m.
• Waterway Park, 708 Waterway Dr., Kansas City, Kan. – Kids Cafe began June 1 and will end Aug. 3; Meals are served on Thursday from 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Continuing efforts to feed the hungry

Jordan is not the only mayoral candidate who has been active in feeding the needy. Janice Witt, running for mayor, also has been very active in this area. She has operated the Reola Grant Agency for years, providing a food pantry and assistance for the needy.

Some large food pantries in Wyandotte County, including Cross-Lines Community Outreach and Catholic Charities, continue to provide food throughout the summer and rest of the year for the needy.

Cross-Lines Community Outreach, with offices in the Armourdale area, has scheduled a Smoke Out Hunger Barn Party and barbecue contest from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 9, at the Wyandotte County Fairgrounds, 137th and Polfer Road, to raise money for its efforts to feed the hungry. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children.

Those who are not in the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools District may find additional meal sites listed at the Kansas State Department of Education, Child Nutrition and Wellness at www.kn-eat.org, or the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services at http://health.mo.gov/living/wellness/nutrition/foodprograms/sfsp/index.php.

Brownback vetoes tax increase, Kansas lawmakers to attempt override

by Stephen Koranda, Kansas Public Radio, Kansas News Service

Kansas lawmakers are gearing up for an attempt to override Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of a tax increase. The House and Senate approved the plan overnight Monday and Brownback vetoed it Tuesday.

In a statement, Brownback said Kansas has a “pro-growth” tax policy and the bill would be a step backward on that front.

“We can and we must balance our budget without negatively harming Kansas families,” he said.

The bill would roll back many of the state’s 2012 tax cuts and raise $1.2 billion over two years.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning said lawmakers could attempt an override as early Tuesday night, and he’ll support the effort.

“It’s time to put this tax issue to bed and get back to governing,” Denning said. “It’s time to do it.”

But that may be easier said than done. An override would need one additional vote in the Senate and 15 additional votes in the House.

Supporters of the tax plan said it would help stabilize the state budget. Lawmakers face a nearly $900 million deficit over two years and increased costs for schools after a court ruling that said school funding is inadequate.

Republican Sen. Gene Suellentrop said the tax bill wouldn’t fix the budget and would mean big tax increases on working Kansans. He’ll be urging senators not to override and work instead on a bill that would trim spending to help balance the budget.

“I think you’re going to probably see something crafted more along that line coming and it’s something the governor will support,” Suellentrop said.

Brownback vetoed another tax increase earlier this session and the Senate could not muster the votes for an override.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service.
See more at http://kcur.org/post/brownback-vetoes-tax-increase-kansas-lawmakers-attempt-override.

Lawmakers approve funding for Kansas Medicaid, mental health centers

by Meg Wingerter, Kansas News Service

A bill to replace funding for Medicaid and the Kansas mental health system lost to budget-balancing cuts last year is headed to Gov. Sam Brownback.

Senate substitute for House Bill 2079 would increase a fee that health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, pay to do business in Kansas from 3.31 percent to 5.77 percent. HMOs are a type of health insurance that typically has lower premiums but only covers care within a network of doctors and hospitals.

Legislative staff estimated the increased fee would raise about $108.6 million next fiscal year and $144.6 million in fiscal year 2019. The new money would first go to offset about $56 million in cuts to reimbursements for most Medicaid providers, which Brownback ordered in May 2016 to close a budget gap.

Brownback hasn’t said if he will sign the bill.

The Medicaid cuts threatened access to care if providers decided to limit the number of Medicaid patients they treat, said Cindy Samuelson, vice president of public relations and political fundraising for the Kansas Hospital Association. She said the HMO fee will offer all providers more stability than state general fund dollars have provided.

“This is a better option, we think,” she said.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Aetna and the Kansas Insurance Department submitted testimony in opposition to a similar bill, which would have made the fee increase retroactive. The new bill delayed implementation to January 2018.

Mary Beth Chambers, spokeswoman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, said the company opposed raising the fee retroactively because it wasn’t calculated into current rates. None of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas insurance offerings for next year will include the fee because they will instead include another type known as an exclusive provider organization plan, she said.

“Moving into 2018, we do not anticipate that the increased fee will impact our members,” she said.

Kansas community mental health centers would be next in line for additional money from the fee increase. They would split an additional $3.5 million in the coming fiscal year and $5 million annually for the next three years, said Kyle Kessler, executive director of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas.

The additional money would partially replace the $20 million in state funding that community mental health centers have lost since 2007, Kessler said. With more funding, the centers could treat more people at risk of being sent to a state mental health hospital and address their staffing shortages, he said.

“It would certainly improve their chances of retaining qualified staff,” he said.

Meg Wingerter is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @MegWingerter. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to kcur.org.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/lawmakers-approve-funding-kansas-medicaid-mental-health-centers.