Foundation Journal

I spoke with John Jones today about the food assistance programs at his organization. He’s the pastor of Faith in Christ Fellowship in Oak Grove, Missouri, which is a rural town of 8000 people just east of suburban Blue Springs near I-70. The organization started with a toiletry pantry, providing personal, household and cleaning supplies, but added food items in partnership with Harvesters food bank. He said they focused on toiletry items because he did not think the need for food was that great. Faith in Christ Fellowship serves 80 families each week, when they once only opened the pantry once a month. He’s noticed an increase in the number of visitors, especially low-income families whose income has not recovered with the end of the recession. He pointed out that people in the lower income levels have not seen their income return to pre-recession levels like many people in the top income brackets. According to US Census figures Oak Grove has a per capita income rate that is $6000

Rural Life Day conference speakers and participants shared a large collection of books and films focused on food production and sustainability. These resources supported the presentations and topics discussed during the 2013 Rural Life Day in Jefferson City, Missouri . Books Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty by Mark Winne Beacon Press, 2009 The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan Penguin, 2007 The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen Gotham, 2012 Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction by Barry C. Lynn Wiley, 2011 Slaughterhouse Blues: The Meat and Poultry Industry in North America by Donald D. Stull, Michael Broadway Cengage Learning, 2012 Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America by Wenonah Hauter The New Press, 2012 The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michae

The annual Rural Life Day in Jefferson City, Missouri was held December 7 at the Alphonse J. Schwartze Memorial Catholic Center with keynote presentations from Prof. Marie George of St. John’s University and Mike Callicrate. The conference focused on sustainability and ethics of food, farming and ranching. Rural Life Day was organized by Catholic Charities of Northwest and Central Missouri, an organization that started two years ago. The small group I traveled with from Kansas City drove to the conference starting at daybreak driving along state highway 50. East of Sedalia the road changes from a four-lane divided highway to two lanes to Jeff City. During this part of the trip the road winds through picturesque hilly farmland.  It's an area that has supported farming and food production for generations. This is the same route my Dad took when he worked part-time for a chicken ranch in high school in the early 1940s, riding a train from Sedalia to St. Louis, watering chickens

Prometheus Radio Project, the leading advocate and organizer for community-based low-power FM radio stations, echoed the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announcement that the deadline for applications has been extended until November 14. The Local Community Radio Act of 2010 promises to enable hundreds of community organizations to start FM radio stations with a short broadcasting range. Organizers at the Prometheus Radio Project have  assisted 1000 groups with the application process , including groups focused on "environmental protection, veterans' issues, serving immigrant and diaspora communities, healthcare access, and cultural preservation."

It's easy to get reports on how the crisis around the Federal government shutdown impacts workers and families in the Kansas City area. Major news outlets have reports that talk about whether this or that agency is shutting down and furloughing workers. Many of these reports feature personal, first-hand accounts of the impact on how workers are making ends meet. KKFI 90.1 FM, the local community radio station, got in on the act this week  with a report from a furloughed USDA worker. What's harder to determine is the impact on programs that provide benefits to poor people or low-income workers. The federally-funded Women, Infants and Children (WIC) feeding program seems to be safe for now, but will lose funding if the government stays closed for long. Thanks to the Springfield News-Leader and St. Joe News-Press for local reporting on the WIC story in Missouri. The story in the News-Leader was inconclusive whether the shutdown would exhaust WIC benefits in Greene County i

Harvesters food bank in Kansas City sponsored a screening and discussion of “ A Place at the Table ” this week at the Alamo Drafthouse theater. This film covers a wide landscape of hunger in the U.S., including a historical perspective that attributes the 1968 “Hunger in America” news report by CBS as influencing Congress to enact laws on child nutrition and hunger relief. The legislation significantly reduced poverty and improved the quality of life for working poor people. This poverty reduction approach is an example of how to reduce hunger in the U.S., which by accounts is worse than during the Johnson Administration’s work on the “War on Poverty.” The film featured several individuals and their struggle to make ends meet. A single mother with two kids, who sadly was unable to get food assistance after she got a job working the “Hunger Hotline.” She was a stoic young woman who discussed her situation -- a 2-year old son with some health issues, experiencing hunger and poor food

Since serving on the KKFI board of directors for three-plus years I've witnessed a range of activities which indicate the station is moving in a positive and stable direction, but KKFI faces some serious challenges to remain relevant and grow, while staying true to it's mission. For those of you with your ear tuned to the community radio world all is not calm in the world of community radio -- WBAI, one of five Pacifica Radio Network stations, laid off 19 of 29 employees last month as a step to fix it's $3 million debt; WPFW, the Washington DC-based Pacifica station, has seen a large drop in listeners and has been working to correct "six-figure deficits;" KBOO in Portland is in the middle of a nasty public dispute ; and Pacifica announced recently that Free Speech Radio News may be shutting operations due to a financial crisis at the radio network. In the public radio sphere National Public Radio announced last week that it is seeking to reduce it's

JCTV community TV station in Jefferson City reported today some good news about the status of city funding on their Facebook Page : "We are pleased to announce that the City Council's budget committee voted to restore $55,000 to the budget for JCTV. The budget will go before the full Council for adoption Tuesday. Though this is good news, our work is far from over, as $55,000 is only one-third of our regular operating budget. But we are committed to providing public access television services to the community." Perhaps what made the difference to save funding for the community TV is the public pressure, including a huge turnout from Lincoln University students and a strong appeal from NAACP Jefferson City chapter president Nimrod Chapel.

A KMOU TV report also discussed the funding question in a August 3 report -- see video below. And a  KRCG 13 report on August 26 mentioned the city council was still deliberating the funding question, and rescheduled budget vote.

The News Tribune reported today that Jeff City residents and Lincoln University administrators, including Lincoln University President Kevin Rome, asked Jefferson City council members to continue funding JCTV , the community TV station serving that area. The city is considering cutting the $110,000 funding to the station as reported by KRCG TV13. Rome sees the importance of JCTV for the university when he said  “I would like to see that relationship grow and flourish,” Rome said. “When you invest in Lincoln University, you invest in the community.” The station does not seem to be doing any groundbreaking investigative reporting -- a recent episode of "Missouri River Regional Library Show" focused on quilting and fiber arts. However, t he station's programming does include about 30% educational programs , according to JCTV station manager Gloria Enloe.  And JCTV airs recordings of Jefferson City council meetings and planning and zoning meetings, which addresses the

KKFI 90.1 FM has been on-air now for 25 years. And while founders and long-time on-air programmers and DJs marvel at the station's longevity and distant turmoil, the station continues to measure itself against the wonderful promise of community radio. As a board member for KKFI since 2010 I was interested in exploring what defines community radio. During a lunch recognizing Rick Groom for his volunteer photography work for KKFI, he shared his history in media work. As a long-time phone repairman he wanted to switch careers, bridging his photography studies at the Art Institute of Atlanta. He started his media career in television and video by volunteering to work at a community access TV studio for American Cablevision (now Time Warner) in the early 1990s. Now as a video replay operator for major sports events, he’s active in producing high quality video, but still connects with community and public media. His first impression of KKFI as community radio was that it operated in

A low-cost, public-funded community television outlet is under attack by Jefferson City, Missouri legislators. News about its possible demise surfaced in news reports in February. An article in the Jefferson City News-Tribune indicated that the media outlet will stop broadcasting unless the city provides $55,000 in funding or another institution like Lincoln University picks up the operation of the station. The station produces local programs like "Community Connection" and "Missouri Viewpoints," which provides a "community service...that helps you know what's happening with local government and also gives a voice to those that would not otherwise be heard." Unless there's a particular reason for closing the station it seems in good practice to have a monitor of local government, especially in the Missouri state capital of Jefferson City. Some opinions on the topic argue that the city is not facing a financial crisis and supports continuatio

Comcast announced the expansion of a low-cost broadband Internet service for low-income families yesterday. The service, labeled "Internet Essentials," provides a five-megabit per second high-speed connection for $9.95 per month, the option to purchase a $149.99 computer, and free training classes. The service is available to families with at least one child eligible for the National School Lunch Program , which provides free or low-cost school lunches. Comcast was required to develop this low-cost Internet service as a result of it's acquisition of NBC. A similar "Starter Internet" offering from Time Warner discussed on this blog  was announced with much fanfare from KCK and KCMO mayors last November. The $10 Time Warner offering expired in January 2013, but provided the service and a low-cost computer to eligible families participating in the same school lunch program. Comcast has some additional requirements which may limit eligibility for the service li

While the "Moral Mondays" movement in North Carolina may not list the renewal of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP or Food Stamps) as one of the group's concerns you can bet this group would press for removing cuts to the Federal food assistance programs. Hunger advocates who advocate for full funding of the SNAP program in the Farm Bill may benefit by taking a page from the Moral Mondays movement, which has been making lots of noise. National and state legislators like those in North Carolina, Kansas and Missouri have reacted so severely to programs that provide services for low-income and poor people that many could lose unemployment benefits, health services, or food assistance. One way you can make a difference is to press your U.S. representative or senator to fully-fund the SNAP program. With legislators back in their home districts there may be opportunity to meet in-person with the legislators. Brett Weisel, Director for Advocacy

During a recent vacation to England and Ireland we stopped in Salisbury UK during which the Salisbury Arts Festival was going on. We chose the place because of its relatively small size and proximity to the notable Stonehenge site after spending time in London. On June 3, 2013 as part of the Salisbury Arts Festival the Castellers of Vilafranca  performed outside the monumental Salisbury Cathedral where the an original copy of Magna Carta is kept. The Castellers shared their ability to build human towers outside the cathedral. A four-piece band comprised of three oboe-like instruments and a drummer played music with a traditional sound during the performance. My family found the arts festival during our trip research and noticed several events focused on the Catalan culture and arts. It seemed odd that we chose activities focused on a seemingly foreign culture to England and Ireland, but festival curators at some level connected Catalonia and Scotland's quest for independ

In conversations with employees of Metropolitan Community College (MCC) over the past few months I learned that Federal grants used to build and resource Public Computer Centers in the area will dry up, and no funds to replace the grants have been identified. These centers not only provide a classroom setting for residents to learn computer and job-search skills, but also a mobile training facility for organizations serving people without reliable transportation. MCC devised a digital literacy series which includes Computer Basics, Internet and E-mail, Computer Security and Privacy, Social Media, Microsoft Office software, Digital Devices and Career Opportunities. The centers also provided technology certification training used by students to boost skills and opportunities for high-demand jobs in information technology. In three months from January through March 2013 2,723 participants took one of the classes, amounting to over 15,000 classroom hours, though mainly in the certific

In an effort to bridge the "digital divide" Metropolitan Community Colleges and Harvesters have teamed up to provide a series of free classes on basic computer concepts. These classes provide a digital literacy framework for individuals in the area, focusing on basic computer skills, Microsoft Office, job searching and social media networking. The next class on Social Media Basics will be held August 14, 2013 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Harvesters food bank, 3801 Topping Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri. For more information contact Matt Quinn via email mquinn [at] harvesters [dot] org or call 816-929-3030.

You can make a difference in the lives of low-income residents in Northeast Kansas City Kansas by making a donation to a Connecting for Good fundraising campaign to build a free wireless network. Connecting for Good is building the high-speed Internet wireless network in the 390-unit Juniper Gardens housing complex, which serves mainly low-income residents, most of whom are single mothers and immigrant families living on $10,000 or less. There are few organizations in KC that have made such a bold splash as Connecting for Good has in its short time as an area non-profit. This organization has taken a brash startup approach to addressing the "digital divide," a popular term to describe a lack of access or resources in one of three areas: high-speed Internet access, a computer, and computer training. What they have accomplished in the last six months -- providing free wireless connections to all residents of KCK low-income housing complexes Rosedale Ridge and Juniper G