Aida’s was among retailers across the United States that joined Brighton in offering limited edition jewelry designed to help feed struggling Americans.  Brighton asked their retailers to nominate American Hero’s in their community who are feeding people.  The Kansas Food Bank was selected from among hundreds of entries that Brighton received because of the passion that Aida’s and their customers showed for the work the Kansas Food Bank does in the community.  Aida presented the Kansas Food Bank with a $5,000 check to help further the work we do. Thank you Brighton and Aida for your dedication!

In Wichita

June 1 marked the beginning of the Federal Summer Meals Program in Wichita. More than 34,500 children receive free and reduced priced meals during the school year because of their family income falling at or below 185% of the poverty level. Free meals are also available in the summer, but getting hungry kids to the table is much harder without daily busing and with most schools closed.

In the past, about 6 percent of Wichita children who qualify participated in the federfal summer meals program in Wichita. That low participation rate contibutes to Kansas coming in 49th in the nation in terms of percentage of kids fed in the summer.

To enure that more of the neediest kids have access to free meals this summer, the Kansas Food Bank teamed up with the Wichita Community Foundation and Wichita Public Schools. As a result, this year free summer meals will be served at 40 locations around Wichita, up from 26 sites last year.

To get the word out, each location has a 3′x8′ ft. banner placed out front, like the one shown here in front of Jackson Elementary.  And over Memorial Weekend, volunteers from seven Wichita churches will walk high-need neighborhoods, distributing information about where children may go for nearby free meals. For a full map of summer food locations and meal times in Wichita, click here. 

Outside of Wichita

The Federal Summer Food Program is now operating in several dozen Kansas communities, providing free summer meals to children. For a complete list of locations, click here. Unfortunately, many rural communities are not eligible for this program because it is only offered in areas where more than 50% of children qualify for free and reduced lunches during the school year. In these areas, local civic groups and congregations are encouraged to find out about hungry children in your community and consider sponsoring free meals.

Wichita public schools mark the last day of school on Wednesday, May 26 bringing an end to the free and subsidized school meals relied upon by the 34,500 children who qualify. The federal government also offers free meals for children during the summer but getting those kids to the table is much harder without daily busing and with most schools closed.

In the past, only 6 percent of children who qualify participated in the federfal summer meals program in Wichita. That low participation rate contibutes to Kansas coming in 49th in the nation in terms of percentage of kids fed in the summer.

To enure that more of the neediest kids have access to free meals this summer, the Kansas Food Bank teamed up with the Wichita Community Foundation and Wichita Public Schools. As a result, this year free summer meals will be served at 40 locations around Wichita, up from 26 sites last year.

To get the word out, each location has a 3′x8′ ft. banner placed out front, like the one shown here in front of Jackson Elementary.  And over Memorial Weekend, volunteers from seven Wichita churches will walk high-need neighborhoods, distributing information about where children may go for nearby free meals. For a full map of summer food locations and meal times in Wichita, click here. Food service begins Tuesday, June 1.

Generous Kansans responded as never before to the Letter Carrier’s “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive. The May 8 event brought in more  than 176,000 lbs. collected from the Wichita area, helping the national drive to surpass the 1 billion lb. mark of total food collected since the annual event began 18 years ago.  The donated food will be distributed to hungry Kansans by the Kansas Food Bank through our hundreds of hunger-relief partners. The largest food drive of the year got a boost of local publicity when members of National Association of Letter Carriers Local #201 appeared in the Wichita Riverfest Parade on Friday May 7, alongside “Phil the Backpack,” the icon of the Kansas Food Bank’s Food4Kids backpack program. Thanks to everyone for making the event a huge success!

Saturday, May 8 marks the annual National Letter Carriers’ Food Drive — the single largest food drive held each year. Just set your cans and other non-perishable food donations by the mailbox. Your mail carrier will collect these items and bring them to the Kansas Food Bank where the food will be sorted and distributed to food pantries in our community and around the state. Join the effort to Stamp Out Hunger. SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, May 8 is the nation’s largest one-day food drive Stamp Out Hunger. Simply Text STAMP1 to 30305 for reminders and updates about the event.

Riverfest is teaming up with the Kansas Food Bank to aid the fight against hunger in our community! Before you bring your kids to the Friday, Saturday or Sunday night West Bank Stage concerts, make sure you grab a can of food per child. Kids ages 6-10 get into each concert for free with their Riverfest button when they donate a can of food to the Kansas Food Bank. Help make a difference and donate at Riverfest!

The USDA is making a a vast amount of information regarding food and hunger in the United States available online. Drawing on federal government data as well as marketing information used by the food industry, USDA’s Food Environment Atlas displays the information in easy to use maps that reveal trends about Americans eating behaviors, experiences with hunger, access to grocery stores and usage of government food assistance programs. The map shown here reveals the number average number per day of free summer meals served to children in Kansas. The areas shaded light pink represents parts of  the state where NOT ONE SINGLE CHILD received a free summer meal in 2001, the year the data was gathered. (Continue reading…)

The Great Bend Tribune today reports on the launch of Kansas Food Bank deliveries to the Barton County Food Bank. The deliveries are part of the Food Bank’s rural delivery program, which makes donated and low-cost food available to food pantries across our 85-county service region.  Rural food pantries interested in becoming applying to become an agency of the Kansas Food Bank should contact Debi Kreutzman at 316 265-4421.

The Wichita Wild and the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization at Wichita State are holding a food drive benefitting the Kansas Food Bank on Saturday, March 13.  The food drive will take place at Hartman Arena as part of Campbell Soup’s “Let’s Can Hunger” campaign.  The drive will take place prior to the Wild’s game vs. the Sioux Falls Storm. Fans bringing a non-perishable food item to the game will have the opportunity to purchase a discounted ticket to the game.  The discount will allow fans to purchase a reserved seat in rows 12-17 for only $6.  The students will start accepting donations at 5:30 PM inside the front doors of Hartman Arena.  Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7:05 PM. 

The Wild started the season on February 26 with a 57-20 win over the La Crosse Spartans in front of 4,755 fans at Hartman Arena.  For more information call the Wild office at 316-440-5044.

 WSU SIFE’s goals are to encourage more WSU students to become active team members, to teach the tenets of free enterprise to people in the community, and to provide SIFE members with learning experiences that will help them reach success in the future.