hunger

As Kansas Citians begin a holiday season of feasting, a rising number of people don’t know where or when their next meal will be. Plus: The Ogallala aquifer is a critical source of water in western Kansas, and it’s running dry.

Kansas City community kitchens are seeing higher demand as food prices remain high and COVID-19 assistance disappears. The food bank Harvesters is focusing on rescuing food waste as one way to shore up its supplies as demand rises, and donations are down.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is encouraging deer hunters to donate meat through its Share the Harvest program.

According to a recent report, 19% of responding Missouri military-connected families said they were facing low or very low food security. Some Kansas City organizations are working so members of the military community don’t have to choose between the expenses of day-to-day life and going hungry.

New rules from the Biden administration will force most Kansas nursing homes to hire more staff, and owners aren’t happy. Plus: The USDA's new program SUN Bucks doles out $40 per month over the summer for each eligible child. However, 13 states turned down the funding.

Summer break can cut off vulnerable kids’ access to food, counseling and other resources they usually get at school. Schools around the metro are working with the community to make sure kids are supported until they return to class.

A lot of people don't think twice about buying milk, says Teresa Calderez. "But there are lots of us out here who can't buy a gallon of milk when we need it."

Jewish Family Services’ food pantry is seeing demand for its services going up — right along with prices for many of the food items and products it supplies.

The Supplemental Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed) is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and helps SNAP recipients learn how to eat healthy food on a budget. Its employees complain of wages so low that they themselves qualify for SNAP.

The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health is set for Sept. 28. But specifics of the conference, including a detailed schedule and guest list, are fuzzy.

A Dillons grocery store closed. Three central Topeka census tracts became federally designated food deserts. Now a local movement aims to fill the gap.

Schools around Kansas City have been able to provide meals to thousands of children for free, regardless of their family’s income, thanks to federal legislation passed during the pandemic. Now, districts are worried that Congress will let those waivers expire.