Foundation Journal

KKFI's annual Holiday Online Auction started today, November 30. Bill Clause, the station's esteemed Special Events Coordinator, has been the busy elf gathering lots of goodies to offer to KKFI supporters. Some of the over 300 items available include "Auto maintenance; Jazz, Blues, Rock concert tickets; Theater tickets for Unicorn, Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, Coterie, and American Heartland Theatre; Gift Certificates to BBs Lawnside, Californos; RJ’s Bob-Be-Cue; Azteca Mexican Food; many more items." KKFI 90.1 FM's Online Holiday Auction Site This is one of the community radio station's most important fundraising activities of the year, so enjoy some online shopping and support KKFI. Bidding ends December 10, 2012.

Missouri Dept of Social Services chart showing current Medicaid (MO HealthNet) enrollment and expenses. (click image for full size) I attended a Local Investment Commission (LINC) meeting last week and listened to a detailed report on the Medicaid expansion options for Missouri under the Affordable Care Act. The expansion seems like a no-brainer option for Missouri with a significant increase in low-income people covered under health insurance. However, a Republican-controlled legislature in Missouri promises to make this a tough fight. As many as 300,000 people , mostly low-income families, would gain access to health care at a minimal cost to the state during the first five years of the expansion. Forget the anti-tax, "small government" talk, extending Medicaid coverage means an improved quality of life for lower-income people -- the most crucial element of the extension. Medicaid, as Brian Kinkade,  interim director of the Missouri Department of Social Services, i

There are strong advocates for low-income people writing for Kansas City major media outlets, such as Mary Sanchez for the Kansas City Star. Her writing on September 19, 2012 about the digital divide and the Google Fiber project is one example of this advocacy. In re-reading this article by Sanchez I noticed she highlighted "a little-publicized program begun in 2011 by the Federal Communications Commission. Households that qualify by poverty guidelines for free and reduced-price lunch at public schools can order Internet service by established providers such as Time Warner for about $10 a month and also buy low-cost computers." Then last week she wrote in depth about Time-Warner's "Starter Internet" service . Information about this program, available for low-income families with school-age children, will be shared in a "major announcement about a pilot project that will expand Internet accessibility..." The event will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the

Image of Google Map showing Vineyard Estates neighborhood The Vineyard Estates neighborhood on the east side of Kansas City, where the Harvesters food bank is located, reached its goal of pre-registering 10% of the residents for the Google Fiber service, along with 179 other KCK and Kansas City, Missouri neighborhood . The Google Fiber plans for residential locations range from $70 for high-speed Internet service to $120 for Internet plus cable TV per month. Since Harvesters is a business it will not eligible to be connected for service, according to the terms of service. And Google has not defined subscription rates for businesses yet. However, since Harvesters is a community organization it's likely to be wired along with "libraries, schools and community buildings in qualified fiberhoods," as stated in a Google report on the conclusion of the pre-registration effort. Harvesters is one of over 200 food banks in a nationwide network of food banks represented by F

I met up with a worker at a social service agency that directly serves residents to learn more about the challenges and operations of a food pantry, one that is served by Harvesters food bank. As a worker at a food bank I don't often get to interact with food pantry workers to understand the day-to-day difficulties of people seeking food assistance. I was a bit late for the meeting and called my acquaintance to notify him of my arrival. At the entrance I announced my visit to the front desk coordinator. About 20 people waited on chairs in the front lobby with me, some having checked in for a food pantry visit, others for employment consultation. The mostly white residents waited with a family member, perhaps a spouse or a child. One woman waiting in a wheel chair with a Chiefs coat -- it was cold this morning -- nervously shook her hand. A younger woman with a baby in a car-seat walked in after a man got up to hold the door open for her. My acquaintance gave me a quick tour,