Author: J Miles

September is Hunger Action Month, which led to a nationwide awareness campaign designed to mobilize the public to take action to help end hunger. The campaign brought attention to the reality of how bad hunger is in the United States and encouraged organizations to help get involved on the campaign against hunger.

The reality is that 1 in 8 people struggle with hunger every day in the United States. Our partner, Feeding America, stated that the latest research shows that hunger exists in every single county. Additionally, the people currently facing hunger are finding it more and more difficult to provide their families with the proper nutrition that they need.

During September, Central KY Community Action Council continued to help fight hunger in the communities that we serve. We distributed 612 Senior Commodity boxes in Breckinridge, Larue, Marion, Meade and Washington Counties. CKCAC passed out 250 boxes from the Marion and Washington food banks. We distributed 9 emergency food boxes and had over 50 referrals to food pantries. The Congregate Meals Program served 2,859 senior meals to 316 clients and gave out 255 food vouchers to 51 clients. CKCAC also hosted a Senior Community Day in Larue County where we were able to feed over 50 senior citizens and informed them about all of CKCAC’s programs.

Hunger Action Month is over but as we move into the final weeks of 2019, take a moment to consider the universal feeling of hunger and how that feeling prevents us from reaching our full potential. The icons of an empty plate, an uncharged battery or a gas gauge moving toward empty will function as a visual representation of what an empty stomach leads to: hunger.

On August 2^nd our Regional Network hosted a Poverty Simulation at the New Haven Elementary School in Nelson County. The Poverty Simulation asks each participant, “Could you survive a month in poverty?” The simulation is designed to have participants walk in the shoes of a family trying to survive from month to month. It is an eye opening experience to see what families in our communities experience daily.

Our first Regional Network meeting of the 2019-2020 grant year will be held September 18^th, 2019. Our meetings are held at the Nolin RECC Community Room on Ring Road in Elizabethtown. The Network Meetings begin at 10:30 and lunch is provided. The Regional Network is comprised of concerned individuals, from the Lincoln Trail Area, who are committed to raising the awareness and prevention of child abuse and neglect. We invite all concerned community members to join us in our mission.

We deliver quality In-Home services to our families and provide professional coaching and support. Right now we are aiding families in increasing positive parenting and discipline skills, obtaining housing, improving household cleanliness, increasing budgeting skills and financial management, building positive relationships with schools and most importantly we are providing a positive support for families. We are currently serving 11 families. With the beginning of a new school year, we have already completed numerous Family Team Meetings with families and school officials to address any issues and make a plan for the academic success of each child.

Central Kentucky Head Start is paving the way for School Readiness in our program and communities.  To better support our students and families we have implemented new programs and curriculums to ensure academic and social and emotional success.  We are exploring innovative ways to engage with students, families, and staff that encourage physical and mental wellness along with resiliency.        

Central Kentucky Head Start aligns goals and teaching efforts with the Head Start Program Performance Standards as well as the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework.  The framework consists of 5 research-based domains that target specific skills that are imperative for school readiness:  Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Language and Literacy, Cognition, and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development.  Central Kentucky Head Start is passionate about using the framework and standards to intentionally plan lessons, establish goals, select appropriate curriculums and assessments, create professional development, and plan program improvements and implementation to ensure our students become lifelong learners. 

It’s Training Time! Director, Shirley Buckman, attended the annual training in Frankfort for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Now it’s time to train all of the Family Child Care Providers and Directors of each Unaffiliated Center. Trainings are planned for Somerset, Lebanon, Elizabethtown, and Frankfort. Each participant will receive 3 hours of state approved training. The Cooperative Extension Offices will help with all of the trainings except Somerset. They will discuss how to plan meals using less processed food.

Kathy Stinson and Michelle Scott participated in the School Readiness Fair at the Larue County Library. The children were thrilled with the whirly helicopters they made and the color game. Kathy Stinson has worked with children since 1970, operating her Family Child Care, that is licensed for 12 children in Buffalo. She has touched many young lives and is now keeping grandchildren of children she kept years ago. You can feel the love when you walk into her home! Michelle Scott operates a Family Child Care for 12 children in Mt. Sherman. Children are treated to food grown in her garden and to a lot of tender loving care. Michelle now serves as a trainer for this area.

There are now 24 Unaffiliated Centers sponsored by the agency and 30 Family Child Care programs. They will be busy in the coming month after training updating all of the enrollment forms and income applications.

Lawncene Flowers has been helping with the program under the Senior Community Service Employment Program. She has been a wonderful example and is always willing to work hard to keep the program moving. The fern outside the office door has also appreciated her love and care!

With fall approaching I am excited about some upcoming events in the CKCAC area.   The first ever Senior Appreciation day will be held on September 20th from 10 am to 1 pm at the Larue County Senior Citizens Center. This will be a good time to introduce those who have not been to our center to our staff, learn more about our weatherization program, meet the CATS drivers and discover how easy it is to have transportation in the area. There will also be bingo and we will be giving away door prizes.   For more information, call the Larue County Senior Citizens Center at 270-358-4235.

Coming up on Saturday, September 14th is the annual St. Catharine Farm Appreciation Day at St. Catharine Farm. The event will be from 10am to 3pm and it benefits the Central KY Community Action Head Start. Some of the attractions will be hayrides, a display of antique tractors, children’s activities, local honey and beef for sale, vendors with handmade crafts, and the Central Kentucky Community Action Head Start will be available with information about the Head Start Program.  There will also be door prizes that include a Holland Grill valued at $850 and a 50 lb. box of St. Catharine Farm beef. The drawing for door prizes will be at 1pm and you must be present to win.  St. Catharine Farm will be cooking hamburgers, hot dogs and fries, which will be available for purchase. Please contact our Central Office at 270-692-2136, if you have any questions about this event.

If you can, make plans to attend one of these events to find out more about Central Kentucky Community Action. More to come……..much more.

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) currently oversees 117 volunteers in Hardin and Nelson Counties. Since January 2019, RSVP volunteers donated 12,768.81 hours for the betterment of their communities. The current per hour value of a volunteer hour, determined by the independent sector, is $25.43. Nelson and Hardin Counties received $324,690 worth of FREE employment services from our volunteers.

Volunteering can be an incredibly rewarding experience – that’s why so many people do it. It’s a great way to help others and share your life experiences and wisdom -plus you can always learn something new.

Volunteering through RSVP has additional benefits geared specifically toward the participants. For example, a newly retired person might have a hard time leaving the nine-to-five working world. It can be difficult to be constantly on the move, and then suddenly shift to getting up at 7 a.m. only to have no place to go. Becoming an RSVP volunteer can help with that adjustment by providing you with volunteer work and help ease that transition. However, it is not just for the newly retired.

If you’ve been retired for a while, but you’re starting to get tired of your new routine, being an RSVP volunteer can help ease you back into being active. Call Cathy for details at (270) 307-0238.

The Congregate Meals Program (CMP) is having another busy month.  Thelma Thompson, previous coordinator at the Washington County Senior Center, retired in June.  Thelma served our program and the agency for many years and we wish her well in her retirement. CMP hired Gloria Graves as the new coordinator in Washington County. Gloria has done an excellent job so far and we are thrilled that she joined our team.

Tim Speakman, previous coordinator at the Larue County Senior Center, retired in July. Sabrina Whelan is the new coordinator and CMP is excited to have her on board. We have full confidence that she will be able to build the center up and we are excited to watch it excel.

CMP is currently planning a community day in Larue County, so stay tuned for dates and times for this event. We are partnering up with CSBG, Weatherization, CKCATS and local officials for a fun filled day at the Larue County Senior Center. We are planning to do events like this at the senior centers in all counties.

September is national Senior Citizen Centers Month. Please check your local papers and senior centers for exciting events happening in your area.

We were able to distribute snack boxes to all participants again this year.  The snack boxes contained five shelf stable meals and the participants were very appreciative of them.

In FY 18/19, CMP served 35,744 meals to 618 unduplicated participants. We provided 2,490 bingocize sessions to 201 unduplicated participants and 5,851 nutrition education sessions to 416 unduplicated participants. 

The Corporation for National and Community Service has awarded the Senior Companion Program (SCP) $220,529. SCP is so pleased to be able to continue providing such a valuable service for another year.  We will be operating in the second year of a three-year grant cycle.  Our financial and progress reports were due by July 30 in e-grants.

A special thanks to our county governments for their sincere generosity in supporting SCP.  Breckinridge County contributed $2,500, Hardin County contributed $500, Marion County contributed $5,000, Nelson County Contributed $1,500, and Washington County contributed $5,400 in in-kind by donating office space, as well as an additional $500 in cash.  We appreciate all their help and certainly couldn’t do it without them.

SCP held its annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet on Thursday, June 6 at My Old Kentucky Home State Park. It was definitely a success and all of the volunteers were so appreciative for all their awards and tokens of appreciation. We truly appreciate everyone that contributed in helping to make this day so special.  The SCP is so blessed to have the volunteers that we do to make our program the best it can be.

In closing out the fiscal year, the Senior Companion Program provided over 46,000 hours of in-home services to clients across a six-county service area.  Just over 100 clients were provided services by 44 SCP volunteers.  We are so happy to report these numbers, as we spent all of our federal dollars allocated for stipends.

The CKCATS office renovation began July 24, 2019.  The concrete floor is poured and the Isaac Tatum Construction Company is beginning to frame the walls. The entire project is expected to take about three months and will cost around $240,000.

CKCATS Transportation just finished an amazing year for FY 19. This is the most productive year to date. CKCATS has a carryover budget of $450,000-$475,000 for FY 20.  That is $125,000 more than last year.

The numbers for CKCATS Senior trips were 12,066 with 1,282 seniors served. Intercity trips totaled 2,214, Veteran trips were 1,635 and 70,000 Medicaid & General Public trips were logged. We traveled over 1,764,000 miles during the 2018/2019 FY. 

During FY 19, CKCATS received eight new buses, a new phone system, a new parking lot at the Central Office and a $250,000 renovation for the Central Office in Lebanon. The office renovation is currently under way and we hope it will be finished by late fall.

While FY19 was very successful, we look forward to the new FY 20. CKCATS is set to receive three new replacement low-floor mini vans and three expansion SUV’S in the amount of $214,497 in 5339 funding.  CKCATS will also receive 5339 funding for office furniture and 16 camera systems in the amount of $37,850. We will also receiving 5310 grant funds for three replacement vehicles in the amount of $146,385. 

CKCATS has scheduled our annual Training Day on Aug 10, 2019 at the Nelson County CATS Office. This is a mandatory training for all employees that includes Defensive Driving, Bloodborne Pathogen and Drug /Alcohol training. 

Why a Simulation? Recently, our team at Central Kentucky Community Action held a Poverty Simulation at the New Haven Elementary School in New Haven. Poverty is a reality for many individuals and families. Unless you’ve experienced poverty, it’s difficult to truly understand. The Community Action Poverty Simulation bridges the gap from misconception to understanding.   The Poverty Simulation is an interactive immersion experience and sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty.  

What happens during a Simulation?  One part is: The Experience.  Meet Ann Aber. Like many people in poverty, Ann faces the daily struggle to keep a roof over her head and her children fed. Ann is just one person of the 26 families that take part in the Poverty Simulation.  During the Poverty Simulation, you will take on the identity of someone like Ann and you will work together with your family to live a month in poverty.

Recently, at a Lincoln Trail Area Development District Meeting, someone that went through the program said “This simulation gave me a whole new perspective, a greater appreciation for the choices those in poverty make.”

This is just one of the programs CKCAC will continue. As always thanks for your support and please contact one of our offices if you need anything.   More to come…much more…