The Food and Farm Council of Riley County and City of Manhattan serves as a network hub bringing together partners to address persistent food insecurity issues, reduce food waste, and support local farms. Riley County consistently ranks among the highest counties for food insecurity nationwide, with approximately 13-14% of residents affected and 2,700 people currently receiving SNAP benefits.
• Council consists of 15 volunteers who serve three-year terms with Vicki James as coordinator
• Goals include reducing food insecurity, minimizing food waste, and supporting local farms
• Riley County has consistently held the title as one of the highest food-insecure counties nationally
• One in six children and one in seven adults in Riley County are affected by hunger
• Recent federal legislation threatens significant cuts to SNAP funding
• Many funding cuts that were strategically planned for 2026-2027, after the midterm elections
• States may need to make funding differences to maintain SNAP benefits
• "Blessing Box Stock the Box Challenge" encourages groups to stock emergency food boxes
• Participating groups receive $100 to restock boxes again
• Power Produce program at Farmers Market educates children while providing fresh food access
• Volunteer opportunities and donations accepted through nourishtogether.org
For those interested in volunteering or donating, visit the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation website or nourishtogether.org, or email rileycountyfoodandfarmcouncil.com to get connected.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater
Manhattan Community Foundation.
In this episode we feature arecently broadcast segment of
the GMCF Community Hour as heardon NewsRadio KMAN, and we are
back with segment number threeon the GMCF Community Hour here
on NewsRadio KMAN.
(00:20):
The Food and Farm Council ofRiley County and City of
Manhattan, kansas, is quite atitle, but the amount of work
that they do on behalf of folksin the community is absolutely
amazing and we want to give youa little bit better insight on
what all the efforts include.
Vicki James is the coordinatorand, vicki, you've appeared on
(00:41):
here before and welcome back tothe GMCF Community Hour.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thank you, dave, and Greater Manhattan Community
Foundation for having us.
It's always good to chat withyou.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
It is Well and you know, we may mention the name,
but I think a lot of peopledon't understand what it all
means.
But there are a lot of playersin this effort.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, it's kind of complicated and I think we're
still one of those groups that'snot a household name.
I could go talk to a group andshare and I ask them to raise
their hands.
How many people know about usand what we do?
And maybe it's a third of thegroup that I'm talking to.
So opportunities like this toshare are helpful.
Our name infers what itactually is, that this is a city
(01:25):
, county appointed advisorycouncil and yet we have no
financial support from them butwe're just advisors.
So what this group is is 15volunteers and they serve three
year terms.
They can re-up after that and Iserve as their coordinator.
It's kind of my background doingthis sort of community work.
(01:45):
Basically, what we are is anetwork hub.
We bring together partners thatwork in the food system and try
to assess what are the issues,what kind of things can we do
with partners to createsolutions just to make this a
better place to live.
Related to food system Advocacyis becoming a big thing, but
(02:07):
our three goals are to reducefood insecurity, or at least as
much as we can, to reduce foodwaste and to support our local
farms and farm businesses.
So that's a pretty big ask of avolunteer organization kind of
complex.
We've been here since 2018, andwe have nine different programs
that we work with our partnersto assess and implement, and so
(02:33):
we're always switching that upto help not fix anything
completely, but kind of plug thedike, if you will, for some
needs in the food system.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
You know, a lot of people are aware that we do have
a lot of food insecurityconcerns here within Manhattan
and Riley County.
It may not be obvious to a lotbut when we talk with folks,
like you know, from the FlintHills, red Masket or whatever
you know Be Able, the emergencyshelter etc.
There is a high percentage ofindividuals in Riley County and
(03:07):
Riley County is among thestate's leaders and this is not
something to brag about, butit's one of the highest ranking
counties in Kansas when it comesto food insecurity, with a very
high percentage of individualsthat are in that figure into
that club.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
You're right.
I wish that was a statisticthat we didn't own.
The sad part, dave, we've ownedthat for years and years and
years.
In fact, we are one of the fewcounties across the United
States that has consistentlyheld that title as being one of
the highest food insecurecounties, held that title as
being one of the highest foodinsecure counties not just in
(03:47):
our state but across the country, for so many years.
So when you look at that it'slike wow, this is something
that's multi-generational, it'svery complex and it's not going
to be resolved by one group, byone pantry, by one meal program,
by one assistance program.
It's very, very complex andit's just gotten bigger and
(04:09):
bigger with some federallegislation that's taken place
lately.
So, yes, we have anywhere from13 to 14% food insecurity here.
One out of six children areaffected by hunger, one out of
seven adults, and so in RileyCounty we have 2,700 on SNAP,
(04:30):
which is the SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program.
So that's really significant.
I always get asked is thisbecause of having a military
base or a university?
And the answer is no.
You can look at the data andare those a factor?
Yes, they are a factor, butit's not because of that.
So it's just so complex, and Iwish that our community could
(04:54):
embrace the fact that this isnot a temporary thing, or
because of those two things, andthat we all need to come
together and help be part of thesolution and that we all need
to come together and help bepart of this solution.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Well, and becoming part of the solution seems to be
something that's going to be agreater ask of the community,
because there has been a lot offederal funding that has been
channeled through the efforts ofthe Food and Farm Council and
the SNAP program.
That's obviously one that is ofgreat concern now, with many of
the federal cutbacks that wehave seen.
How are you navigating thosewaters?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Well, the first thing I want to say about that is HR
1, the OBBB.
Some call it the One BigBeautiful Bill.
I have other names for it, butwe won't go there today.
How about that today?
How about that?
I think one of the things thatthe council talks about and we
(05:50):
talk about with our partners isthat we have to stay strong.
All of the social serviceagencies, our folks that are
growing our food locally, ourcouncil that's trying to help
our frontline partners.
We have to stay strong and stayon track and keep trying to
move forward with our goal toassist those that are food
insecure, low income and have alot of challenges.
(06:13):
So we used to think part of therole was oh, the SNAP
application is complex to getthrough.
Now we're concerned.
There won't be a SNAPapplication.
There won't be that.
What will we do?
So I would say to our partnersand to individuals Figure out
where you can plug in and help,whether it's financial, whether
(06:35):
it's volunteerism, whether it'sconnecting with state and
federal legislators.
Know who those are and keeptalking to them.
Listen to your neighbors andunderstand their stories and
what's going on.
So right now we're trying to bepatient until we know the full
impact what the bill actuallysays and how that will roll out.
(07:00):
A lot of things that willhappen will not happen in 2025.
So I'm a little concerned thatpeople are going to go see it
wasn't any big deal.
Well, some of that is purposelylaid out, dave.
So it's not going to happenuntil 2026 or into 27.
And part of that is becausethere will be the midterm
(07:21):
elections in 2026.
So we're asking people to stayalert and stay in touch with
what's going on, because we willbe called to action in this
community to try and see what wecan do locally, statewide and
federally.
One of the things that mayhappen most likely is that
(07:42):
states are going to have to makeup the difference and do a
shared process if we're going tokeep SNAP in the state of
Kansas.
So that puts a big burden onKansas.
We're going to have to talk toour state legislators and help
them understand why we reallyneed to keep SNAP.
If it's not going to be able tobe funded federally, how can we
(08:04):
make that happen in the state?
I think people don't realizethat.
Not only is it going to affectall of our neighbors that are
low income, that are SNAPeligible and on this program,
but there's an economic impact.
When those folks go shopping,it's about a dollar and a half
(08:25):
per dollar they spent.
That's going to go into thelocal economies.
So it's a spin that we reallyneed to think about.
So I'm asking all of us yeah,we need to vent our fear, our
frustration, maybe a little bitof anger, but we also need to be
prepared to listen, learn, beadvocates and speak up, because
(08:49):
we're going to be all call toaction to try to support however
we can Volunteer, donate, callyour legislators.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
And Vicki, it sounds like you know there's so much to
anticipate yet, but the unknownis what is you know do to put
(09:20):
things back together and to makesure that we take care of those
individuals that are in need?
Do you have some perspective onwhat that may look like?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well you hit the nail on the head may look like Well
you hit the nail on the head.
I think we're going to have tolook again.
Can our state afford to do theshared process to keep SNAP, or
is it going to make deeper cuts?
So then, if it does, what do wedo with the folks that aren't
(09:52):
going to be able to have SNAP?
It's going to mean that we'regoing to have to support our
local pantries more becausethey're already super busy.
I mean the breadbasket andcat's cupboard.
Both are doing a great job, buttheir numbers could really
increase.
Common table their numberscould really increase.
We may need to look at otherprograms, the blessing boxes,
(10:14):
which is one of the programs theFood and Farm Council oversees
each of those boxes I believe wehave 27 now in the county, most
of them in Manhattan but somein the rural areas those the
sponsors can't keep thosestocked.
I mean those are going to beeven a heavier need.
So I wanna share with you.
We have something right now,not one way people can help.
(10:36):
It's called the Blessing BoxStock, the Box Challenge, and
what that is is if a group rightnow will go and stock a box and
take pictures and post them onour Blessing Box, raleigh County
in Manhattan Facebook page.
Then we have a grant to give$100 back to that group to go do
(10:59):
it all over again.
So we've had 12 groups, I think,participate in the last few
weeks and what we're trying todo, dave, is raise awareness.
I think what has happened ispeople say, oh, I didn't know
where those boxes were, I didn'tknow who sponsored those, I
didn't know how those could bedone.
So we're challenging people ifyou go to the store and you have
(11:20):
the funds to buy five extradollars, 10 extra dollars of
things, take them and put themin a box and stock the box.
And if we all could do thatmore, that's one area that would
help, because I think those area 24, seven outdoor, no
questions asked place wherepeople can get shelf stable
(11:41):
items.
They can also get personalhygiene items, things that
people need all the time.
So we encourage people to go tothe Blessing Box of Riley
County in Manhattan Facebookpage and read about that and
stock the box and we will giveyou a gift card to go back and
do it again.
So it's little things like that.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Is that something you encourage civic organizations,
other private entities, socialgroups and churches to
participate in?
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Yes, yep, I mean it could be.
It could be, you know, ifthere's a neighborhood group
that gets together.
So it could be that informal,or it could be as formal as a
business, or it could becertainly a civic organization.
The hope is that it raisesawareness.
And what might happen after ourgrant's gone and we can't give
(12:33):
everyone $100 to do it again, isthat they'll say you know, this
isn't that difficult, we coulddo this once a month, we could
do it every quarter, and if morepeople did that, it's one way
to help.
Same thing if people donatetheir funds or their time to
pantries and to the shelters andto the common table meal
(12:54):
program.
Those are all support systems.
They're not a cure-all.
None of them can stand aloneand fix where we're at with food
insecurity.
But all of those together makea difference.
One of the other things isthere is probably going to
happen that SNAP-Ed, so theeducational component of SNAP is
(13:17):
going to be lost in this bigbeautiful bill, quote unquote.
And what that means, dave, isthat food may go to people, but
if there's not education withhow to shop, how to store that
food, how to prepare that food,how to be food safe, then I
think we've really, reallymissed the boat.
I mean, it takes more than foodto end hunger and for people to
(13:41):
be their best selves.
So one of the things the Foodand Farm Council has done is try
to implement programs that haveeducation Our kids program.
If you and Sherilyn go to thefarmer's market on Saturday in
the summer, come by the PowerProduce booth.
So this is an example ofsomewhere you can volunteer and
donate time and money.
(14:02):
For 12 weeks, kids ages 4 to 12can stop by the Power Produce
booth and they taste fruits andvegetables fresh fruits and
vegetables and then they earnand they do an activity and then
they earn four one dollartokens and they can use those.
Those are basically like cashand they can go purchase their
own fruits and vegetables.
(14:23):
Many of the people that attendthat are some of our lower
income, food insecure familiesnot all, but some and what we're
told is this is one of the bestways that families are
educating each other, kids andadults and getting used to
enjoying the market and eatingmore fruits and vegetables.
So we're always looking forvolunteers and funds to keep
(14:46):
that alive.
It's an economic impact to themarket because if the family
comes because their kids want todo that.
They're going to shop otherplaces too, so we've been seeing
over 100, 110 kids every weekthis summer.
The first week, we did blenderbikes.
If you know what a blender bikeis, you did blender bikes.
If you know what a blender bikeis, you get on a bike and you
pedal basically a blender that'sgot goodies in it and then you
(15:09):
get to drink a smoothie.
That was our first week.
At the end of the season we'regoing to do it again with
another thing.
I'll surprise you with whatthat's going to be, but those
are the educational componentswe don't want to lose.
We've got to keep helping ourfamilies with how to continue to
try to learn and eat healthy.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Vicki, we just have a few seconds left here in the
show, but let's put out a plugfor people who would like to
volunteer or make a donation tothe Food and Farm Council.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yeah, well, thank you to the Greater Manhattan
Community Foundation, which iswonderful and serves as our
fiscal sponsor.
If you just go to the GreaterManhattan Community Foundation
website or our website, which isnourishtogetherorg, and click
on donate, look for Food andFarm Council of Riley County and
City of Manhattan and youcertainly can donate online.
(15:57):
Tells you how to provide acheck online.
Tells you how to provide acheck and you can volunteer by
either looking atnourishtogetherorg under
volunteerism or write me atrileycountyfoodandfarmcouncilorg
.
Rileycountyfoodandfarmcouncilorg.
Or com, sorry, and that willtake you to me and we'll get you
(16:19):
hooked up with whatever youindividually or civic
organization want to do to helpout.
So, basically just help thecommunity.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Vicki James is with the Food and Farm Council of
Riley County in the city ofManhattan.
Their website again,nourishtogetherorg.
We'll draw a conclusion to theshow with our usual step in
giving you some ideas and whatyou could do here the next few
days with our communityactivities, and then also a
preview of next week's show onthe GMCF Community Hour here on
(16:47):
News Radio KMAM.
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater
Manhattan Community Foundation.
In this episode we feature arecently broadcast segment of
the GMCF Community Hour as heardon NewsRadio KMAN, and we are
back with segment number threeon the GMCF Community Hour here
on NewsRadio KMAN.
(00:20):
The Food and Farm Council ofRiley County and City of
Manhattan, kansas, is quite atitle, but the amount of work
that they do on behalf of folksin the community is absolutely
amazing and we want to give youa little bit better insight on
what all the efforts include.
Vicki James is the coordinatorand, vicki, you've appeared on
(00:41):
here before and welcome back tothe GMCF Community Hour.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thank you, dave, and Greater Manhattan Community
Foundation for having us.
It's always good to chat withyou.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
It is Well and you know, we may mention the name,
but I think a lot of peopledon't understand what it all
means.
But there are a lot of playersin this effort.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, it's kind of complicated and I think we're
still one of those groups that'snot a household name.
I could go talk to a group andshare and I ask them to raise
their hands.
How many people know about usand what we do?
And maybe it's a third of thegroup that I'm talking to.
So opportunities like this toshare are helpful.
Our name infers what itactually is, that this is a city
(01:25):
, county appointed advisorycouncil and yet we have no
financial support from them butwe're just advisors.
So what this group is is 15volunteers and they serve three
year terms.
They can re-up after that and Iserve as their coordinator.
It's kind of my background doingthis sort of community work.
(01:45):
Basically, what we are is anetwork hub.
We bring together partners thatwork in the food system and try
to assess what are the issues,what kind of things can we do
with partners to createsolutions just to make this a
better place to live.
Related to food system Advocacyis becoming a big thing, but
(02:07):
our three goals are to reducefood insecurity, or at least as
much as we can, to reduce foodwaste and to support our local
farms and farm businesses.
So that's a pretty big ask of avolunteer organization kind of
complex.
We've been here since 2018, andwe have nine different programs
that we work with our partnersto assess and implement, and so
(02:33):
we're always switching that upto help not fix anything
completely, but kind of plug thedike, if you will, for some
needs in the food system.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
You know, a lot of people are aware that we do have
a lot of food insecurityconcerns here within Manhattan
and Riley County.
It may not be obvious to a lotbut when we talk with folks,
like you know, from the FlintHills, red Masket or whatever
you know Be Able, the emergencyshelter etc.
There is a high percentage ofindividuals in Riley County and
(03:07):
Riley County is among thestate's leaders and this is not
something to brag about, butit's one of the highest ranking
counties in Kansas when it comesto food insecurity, with a very
high percentage of individualsthat are in that figure into
that club.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
You're right.
I wish that was a statisticthat we didn't own.
The sad part, dave, we've ownedthat for years and years and
years.
In fact, we are one of the fewcounties across the United
States that has consistentlyheld that title as being one of
the highest food insecurecounties, held that title as
being one of the highest foodinsecure counties not just in
(03:47):
our state but across the country, for so many years.
So when you look at that it'slike wow, this is something
that's multi-generational, it'svery complex and it's not going
to be resolved by one group, byone pantry, by one meal program,
by one assistance program.
It's very, very complex andit's just gotten bigger and
(04:09):
bigger with some federallegislation that's taken place
lately.
So, yes, we have anywhere from13 to 14% food insecurity here.
One out of six children areaffected by hunger, one out of
seven adults, and so in RileyCounty we have 2,700 on SNAP,
(04:30):
which is the SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program.
So that's really significant.
I always get asked is thisbecause of having a military
base or a university?
And the answer is no.
You can look at the data andare those a factor?
Yes, they are a factor, butit's not because of that.
So it's just so complex, and Iwish that our community could
(04:54):
embrace the fact that this isnot a temporary thing, or
because of those two things, andthat we all need to come
together and help be part of thesolution and that we all need
to come together and help bepart of this solution.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Well, and becoming part of the solution seems to be
something that's going to be agreater ask of the community,
because there has been a lot offederal funding that has been
channeled through the efforts ofthe Food and Farm Council and
the SNAP program.
That's obviously one that is ofgreat concern now, with many of
the federal cutbacks that wehave seen.
How are you navigating thosewaters?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Well, the first thing I want to say about that is HR
1, the OBBB.
Some call it the One BigBeautiful Bill.
I have other names for it, butwe won't go there today.
How about that today?
How about that?
I think one of the things thatthe council talks about and we
(05:50):
talk about with our partners isthat we have to stay strong.
All of the social serviceagencies, our folks that are
growing our food locally, ourcouncil that's trying to help
our frontline partners.
We have to stay strong and stayon track and keep trying to
move forward with our goal toassist those that are food
insecure, low income and have alot of challenges.
(06:13):
So we used to think part of therole was oh, the SNAP
application is complex to getthrough.
Now we're concerned.
There won't be a SNAPapplication.
There won't be that.
What will we do?
So I would say to our partnersand to individuals Figure out
where you can plug in and help,whether it's financial, whether
(06:35):
it's volunteerism, whether it'sconnecting with state and
federal legislators.
Know who those are and keeptalking to them.
Listen to your neighbors andunderstand their stories and
what's going on.
So right now we're trying to bepatient until we know the full
impact what the bill actuallysays and how that will roll out.
(07:00):
A lot of things that willhappen will not happen in 2025.
So I'm a little concerned thatpeople are going to go see it
wasn't any big deal.
Well, some of that is purposelylaid out, dave.
So it's not going to happenuntil 2026 or into 27.
And part of that is becausethere will be the midterm
(07:21):
elections in 2026.
So we're asking people to stayalert and stay in touch with
what's going on, because we willbe called to action in this
community to try and see what wecan do locally, statewide and
federally.
One of the things that mayhappen most likely is that
(07:42):
states are going to have to makeup the difference and do a
shared process if we're going tokeep SNAP in the state of
Kansas.
So that puts a big burden onKansas.
We're going to have to talk toour state legislators and help
them understand why we reallyneed to keep SNAP.
If it's not going to be able tobe funded federally, how can we
(08:04):
make that happen in the state?
I think people don't realizethat.
Not only is it going to affectall of our neighbors that are
low income, that are SNAPeligible and on this program,
but there's an economic impact.
When those folks go shopping,it's about a dollar and a half
(08:25):
per dollar they spent.
That's going to go into thelocal economies.
So it's a spin that we reallyneed to think about.
So I'm asking all of us yeah,we need to vent our fear, our
frustration, maybe a little bitof anger, but we also need to be
prepared to listen, learn, beadvocates and speak up, because
(08:49):
we're going to be all call toaction to try to support however
we can Volunteer, donate, callyour legislators.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
And Vicki, it sounds like you know there's so much to
anticipate yet, but the unknownis what is you know do to put
(09:20):
things back together and to makesure that we take care of those
individuals that are in need?
Do you have some perspective onwhat that may look like?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well you hit the nail on the head may look like Well
you hit the nail on the head.
I think we're going to have tolook again.
Can our state afford to do theshared process to keep SNAP, or
is it going to make deeper cuts?
So then, if it does, what do wedo with the folks that aren't
(09:52):
going to be able to have SNAP?
It's going to mean that we'regoing to have to support our
local pantries more becausethey're already super busy.
I mean the breadbasket andcat's cupboard.
Both are doing a great job, buttheir numbers could really
increase.
Common table their numberscould really increase.
We may need to look at otherprograms, the blessing boxes,
(10:14):
which is one of the programs theFood and Farm Council oversees
each of those boxes I believe wehave 27 now in the county, most
of them in Manhattan but somein the rural areas those the
sponsors can't keep thosestocked.
I mean those are going to beeven a heavier need.
So I wanna share with you.
We have something right now,not one way people can help.
(10:36):
It's called the Blessing BoxStock, the Box Challenge, and
what that is is if a group rightnow will go and stock a box and
take pictures and post them onour Blessing Box, raleigh County
in Manhattan Facebook page.
Then we have a grant to give$100 back to that group to go do
(10:59):
it all over again.
So we've had 12 groups, I think,participate in the last few
weeks and what we're trying todo, dave, is raise awareness.
I think what has happened ispeople say, oh, I didn't know
where those boxes were, I didn'tknow who sponsored those, I
didn't know how those could bedone.
So we're challenging people ifyou go to the store and you have
(11:20):
the funds to buy five extradollars, 10 extra dollars of
things, take them and put themin a box and stock the box.
And if we all could do thatmore, that's one area that would
help, because I think those area 24, seven outdoor, no
questions asked place wherepeople can get shelf stable
(11:41):
items.
They can also get personalhygiene items, things that
people need all the time.
So we encourage people to go tothe Blessing Box of Riley
County in Manhattan Facebookpage and read about that and
stock the box and we will giveyou a gift card to go back and
do it again.
So it's little things like that.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Is that something you encourage civic organizations,
other private entities, socialgroups and churches to
participate in?
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Yes, yep, I mean it could be.
It could be, you know, ifthere's a neighborhood group
that gets together.
So it could be that informal,or it could be as formal as a
business, or it could becertainly a civic organization.
The hope is that it raisesawareness.
And what might happen after ourgrant's gone and we can't give
(12:33):
everyone $100 to do it again, isthat they'll say you know, this
isn't that difficult, we coulddo this once a month, we could
do it every quarter, and if morepeople did that, it's one way
to help.
Same thing if people donatetheir funds or their time to
pantries and to the shelters andto the common table meal
(12:54):
program.
Those are all support systems.
They're not a cure-all.
None of them can stand aloneand fix where we're at with food
insecurity.
But all of those together makea difference.
One of the other things isthere is probably going to
happen that SNAP-Ed, so theeducational component of SNAP is
(13:17):
going to be lost in this bigbeautiful bill, quote unquote.
And what that means, dave, isthat food may go to people, but
if there's not education withhow to shop, how to store that
food, how to prepare that food,how to be food safe, then I
think we've really, reallymissed the boat.
I mean, it takes more than foodto end hunger and for people to
(13:41):
be their best selves.
So one of the things the Foodand Farm Council has done is try
to implement programs that haveeducation Our kids program.
If you and Sherilyn go to thefarmer's market on Saturday in
the summer, come by the PowerProduce booth.
So this is an example ofsomewhere you can volunteer and
donate time and money.
(14:02):
For 12 weeks, kids ages 4 to 12can stop by the Power Produce
booth and they taste fruits andvegetables fresh fruits and
vegetables and then they earnand they do an activity and then
they earn four one dollartokens and they can use those.
Those are basically like cashand they can go purchase their
own fruits and vegetables.
(14:23):
Many of the people that attendthat are some of our lower
income, food insecure familiesnot all, but some and what we're
told is this is one of the bestways that families are
educating each other, kids andadults and getting used to
enjoying the market and eatingmore fruits and vegetables.
So we're always looking forvolunteers and funds to keep
(14:46):
that alive.
It's an economic impact to themarket because if the family
comes because their kids want todo that.
They're going to shop otherplaces too, so we've been seeing
over 100, 110 kids every weekthis summer.
The first week, we did blenderbikes.
If you know what a blender bikeis, you did blender bikes.
If you know what a blender bikeis, you get on a bike and you
pedal basically a blender that'sgot goodies in it and then you
(15:09):
get to drink a smoothie.
That was our first week.
At the end of the season we'regoing to do it again with
another thing.
I'll surprise you with whatthat's going to be, but those
are the educational componentswe don't want to lose.
We've got to keep helping ourfamilies with how to continue to
try to learn and eat healthy.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Vicki, we just have a few seconds left here in the
show, but let's put out a plugfor people who would like to
volunteer or make a donation tothe Food and Farm Council.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yeah, well, thank you to the Greater Manhattan
Community Foundation, which iswonderful and serves as our
fiscal sponsor.
If you just go to the GreaterManhattan Community Foundation
website or our website, which isnourishtogetherorg, and click
on donate, look for Food andFarm Council of Riley County and
City of Manhattan and youcertainly can donate online.
(15:57):
Tells you how to provide acheck online.
Tells you how to provide acheck and you can volunteer by
either looking atnourishtogetherorg under
volunteerism or write me atrileycountyfoodandfarmcouncilorg
.
Rileycountyfoodandfarmcouncilorg.
Or com, sorry, and that willtake you to me and we'll get you
(16:19):
hooked up with whatever youindividually or civic
organization want to do to helpout.
So, basically just help thecommunity.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Vicki James is with the Food and Farm Council of
Riley County in the city ofManhattan.
Their website again,nourishtogetherorg.
We'll draw a conclusion to theshow with our usual step in
giving you some ideas and whatyou could do here the next few
days with our communityactivities, and then also a
preview of next week's show onthe GMCF Community Hour here on
(16:47):
News Radio KMAM.
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