Kansas

Kansas food pantry monitors growing need with SNAP cuts, food insecurity rises in WyCo

Published

8 months ago

July 4, 2025

Kansas food pantry monitors growing need with SNAP cuts, food insecurity rises in WyCo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The U.S. House passed the “Big Beautiful Bill” package Thursday, which includes tax breaks, cuts to Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.

Kansas food pantry monitors growing need as food insecurity rises in WyCo

The bill, for some, means a shift in how they live.

Republicans say the bill still provides help for those who need it, but claim it also targets waste, fraud, and abuse.

Patrick Semansky/AP

Light shines from the U.S. Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Local food pantries, including Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, are bracing for what the new legislation will mean for their clients.

They serve 21 northeast Kansas counties, with two food pantry locations in Wyandotte County.

“The population in Wyandotte County is the lowest income we serve,” said Denise Ogilvi, chief mission integration officer for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. “About 18% of the population in Wyandotte County falls below the poverty level. The poverty level in the state of Kansas is about $32,000 (of income per year) for a family of four.”

Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas’ mission is to offer people of all faiths help, hope, and hospitality.

It’s food pantry locations are client choice, operating similar to a grocery store.

The downtown Kansas City, Kansas, location sits between what the United States Department of Agriculture classifies as a “Food Desert.”

KC Metro Food Desert Map — Areas highlighted in green indicate a food desert, according the USDA.

Earlier this week, MERC Co+Op, a grocery store in downtown KCK, announced it would suspend operations in December 2025.

“It was definitely needed. This is a food desert area,” said Paula Flattery-Aaron from the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association. “We have one grocery store on 18th Street, then the rest are further west.”

paula flattery aaron.jpeg — Paula Flattery-Aaron, KCK resident who sits on the board of the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association.

According to the USDA, to be labeled a Food Desert a community must meet the low-income and low-access requirements.

Those include a poverty rate of 20% or greater, or a median family income at or below 80% of the statewide or metropolitan area median family income.

At least 500 persons and/or 33% of the population lives more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (10 miles for rural communities).

MERC KCK — MERC Co+Op in downtown Kansas City, Kansas

“You can imagine that if you can probably barely pay your rent on $32,000, you will probably need additional support to help your family,” said Ogilvi.

That’s where Catholic Charities comes in, with 150,000 visits to its food pantry locations last year.

This year, that number already jumped to nearly 175,000.

Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas in KCK at 6th and Minnesota

“The need is definitely great,” added Ogilvi.

The republican backed federal legislation is expected to cut $230 billion from SNAP over the next decade.

The bill would require states to pay at least 5% of the SNAP program’s costs starting in 2028.

The program is currently federally funded.

Governors plead for food stamp flexibility amid pandemic

Historically, funding comes from passing a piece of legislation known as the Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill is a multi-billion dollar omnibus package, with nearly 80% of the farm commodity bill spent on nutrition programs like SNAP.

That legislation is two years past due for passage by Congress.

Combine — Guetterman Brothers Farm harvesting Soybeans near Bucyrus, Kansas.

In addition to new funding cuts, the Big Beautiful Bill would create tighter work requirements to be eligible for aid, raising the age requirement from 54 to 64.

It would also force parents with children older than six to meet the work requirements.

Parents with dependent kids at home are exempt.

KCK Family — Family in downtown Kansas City, Kansas.

“Most people only come to our food pantry once a month. They are going to need more food than what they get at our food pantry,” Ogilvi explained. “SNAP benefits provide about nine meals for every one meal that we can provide.”

Catholic Charities is continuing to gather data across the communities it serves to better understand the need.

They will begin having conversations on whether they need to budget more money for food, expand their current locations, or open more locations.

“What we can do is try to make sure that our door is always open,” added Ogilvi. “Not for profits can’t fill the whole gap.”

For more information on how to get involved with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, click here.

—

KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.

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Kansas

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Saturday after Wednesday sub-state wins

Published

11 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Saturday after Wednesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Wednesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

6A Boys West Sub-State: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka High 57, Washburn Rural 50 (will play Maize Saturday)
Junction City 70, Dodge City 56 (will play Derby Saturday)
Manhattan 58, Wichita-Northwest 56 (will play Wichita-East Saturday)

4A Boys East Sub-State: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 62, Louisberg 57 (will play Bishop Miege Saturday)
Atchison 74, Wamego 43
Hayden 72, Independence 56 (will play Atchison Saturday)
Eudora 76, Santa Fe Trail 68

GIRLS

5A West Girls: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hays 80, Topeka West 18
Eisenhower 55, Seaman 41
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 71, Emporia 41

5A East Girls: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Shawnee Heights 89, Sumner 15 (will play Pittsburg Saturday)
Basehor-Linwood 74, Highland Park 28 (will play Piper Saturday)

3A Pomona-West Franklin Girls: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Osage City 75, Columbus 31 (will play Frontenac Saturday)

3A Sabetha Girls: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Silver Lake 48, Nemaha Central 26 (will play Riley County Saturday)
Riley County 51, Jeff West 40 (will play Silver Lake)

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Kansas

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Tuesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

5A East Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

KC Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37 (will play Leavenworth Friday)

5A West Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32 (will play Bishop Carroll Friday)
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41 (will play Maize South Friday)
Seaman 73, Valley Center 51 (will play Hays Friday)

3A West Franklin Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Burlington 60, Osage City 35 (will play Baxter Springs Friday)

3A Sabetha Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hiawatha 73, Oskaloosa 48 (will play Heritage Christian Friday)
Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39 (will play Perry-Lecompton Friday 7:30 p.m.)

GIRLS

6A West Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32 (will play Derby)
Topeka High 69, Maize 45 (will play Liberal)
Manhattan 67, Free State 21 (will play Wichita East)

4A East Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 71, Parsons 23 (will play Tonganoxie)
Wamego 54, Labette County 33 (will play Bishop Miege)
Hayden 2, Athison 0 (will play Baldwin)

2A Eskridge/Mission Valley Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rossville 71, KC Christian 49 (will play Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Lyndon 61, Jeff. Co. North 31 (will play Valley Heights)
Valley Heights 65, Doniphan West 41 (will play Lyndon)

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Kansas

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.

The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.

The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.

“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”

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