GEARY COUNTY (KSNT) - The Geary County Food Pantry (GCFP) has seen over a 20% increase in the number of children served during the summer months from 2022 to 2023.
On Thursday, the Geary County Unified School District 475 will hear from Brad Carlton and Stephanie Diehl from the food pantry during its Special Board of Education (BOE) meeting. The organization will present on how they serve the district's children and families and discuss new building plans.
The food pantry provided the BOE with a report on its current operations. Geary County has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in Kansas at 13.3%. The county ranks third in the state for child food insecurity at 23.6%, according to the report.
According to data provided by the GCFP, there has been a 22% increase in the number of children using their services. There was an average of 96 more children served each month from June through August. Of those served by the pantry, over 30% were children, according to the GCFP report.
The GCFP is a non-profit organization that has been serving Junction City and Geary County at the Fresh Start Facility at 138 W. 3rd St. since 1989. The location wouldn't allow the pantry to expand its cold storage or adjust its physical design layout so the organization is planning on moving, according to the GCFP report.
The GCFP will be building a new location at the corner of 7th and Clay Street. The lot was purchased for $70,000 and sidewalk, parking lot and building construction is estimated to cost $550,000.
The fundraising efforts for the construction are currently underway. GCFP Spokesperson Debbie Johns said committed donors will be announced at a later date. The GCFP is in the process of securing grant funds for part of the project.
"The building cost is in the final stages of development," Johns said. "The building committee is now working with the city and building contractor to efficiently determine accurate project costs."
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