Junction City Rotary Club Release
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Geary County Food Pantry reports “Geary County is currently experiencing the highest level of food scarcity in Kansas with … 29% of the children facing food insecurity.”
After 60 years of President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” as of 2022, there are 39.9 million living in poverty.
Chardy Magnett recently spoke to our members about a holistic program aimed to reduce poverty and empower communities, called Herington Hearts. This specific program is held in the Herington community but there are programs in 16 counties in Kansas. When talking about the potential impact that Herington Hearts can have on poverty in this specific community, Chardy stated that 50% of students are on free or reduced lunches, and their goal is to make it so families can find ways to get themselves out of poverty.
In the “Core Community” program the focus is on eleven resources where a person can be impoverished or rich: financial, emotional, mental, spiritual physical, motivation, language, social capital, integrity and trust, relationships/role models, and knowledge of hidden financial rules. The program starts with Phase I every fall with classes that meet every Monday evening for 24 weeks. During these classes, there is a free meal and childcare so parents/adults can join together to share their lives and grow through various curriculums and programming. At the end of the 24 weeks there is a graduation and this spring, Herington Hearts graduated their 6th class. Chardy shared that over the past six years, they've graduated 62 individuals who have paid off $322,000 in debt and seen an increase of $275,000 in family annual income.
After graduation, many join Phase II which is where they dig really deep into the barriers that are keeping them in poverty - allowing them to find healing and success. They are matched with middle-class volunteers, called Core Friends, who walk alongside these graduates as they continue their journey out of poverty. This results in the creation of friendships and brings the community together.
Anyone interested in considering possible involvement here in Geary County should contact Chardy at [email protected]. Overall info is at youthcoreministries.org.