by Kelly Rogge
Kansas City Kansas Community College is once again a partner with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Harvesters for two separate food giveaways this month.
The first food giveaway will start at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at KCKCC-TEC, 6565 State Ave. The second is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, also at KCKCC-TEC. Food will be given to families on a first come, first serve basis.
The food giveaway moved to the KCKCC-TEC for the first time in November.
Andrica Wilcoxen, outreach and prevention coordination at KCKCC, said due to logistic issues, Harvesters and Catholic Charities were compelled to find an alternative location to host the giveaway due to the large amount of people in need within the local community.
In the past, as much as 45,000 pounds of food has been distributed at one event. That is when Don Ash, Wyandotte County Sheriff and KCKCC Board of Trustee, got involved. Wilcoxen said Ash saw a need and thought KCKCC-TEC would be the perfect location for the beneficial event.
“They give out a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy items for the community. That is what I think makes it unique and different from other food drives or food giveaways in our area,” she said. “These are items families cannot necessarily purchase with food stamps or items middle class families often cannot afford.”
There are no income restrictions to the food giveaway. Food will be given to families based on the number of people in the family, and will be given out while supplies last. Cars can line up prior to 1 p.m. in the KCKCC-TEC parking lot. However, if participants arrive early, there is no restroom availability at the TEC during the event. In addition, those attending are asked to be prepared to wait in long lines.
“So many of our families in Wyandotte County as well as our students are in need of this kind of service,” Wilcoxen said. “It is a widely used resource that we are happy to make sure continues.”
Volunteers are needed to help the food giveaway event run smoothly. This includes volunteers for setup, parking, food sorters, food distribution and clean up. For more information or to register online, visit www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e48a8a828aa8-volunteers.
Information is also available by contacting Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas at 913-433-2080.
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.