This is a guest column in conjunction with Mrs. Jobe’s AVID Senior Service Learning Project

Community involvement is a large asset in the process of creating a positive environment. Understanding what the ups and downs are around your community will allow you to adapt in the worst of situations and make a difference. One topic that is evident in many different communities that people look over is the topic of poverty. Families everyday are forced to realize the truth of their circumstances and struggle to play this game called “life”. Whether it’s finding the next meal in the day or working to keep the lights on in their homes, individuals in poverty do not have the tools or even the simple means of getting information in order to pull themselves out of poverty. As you look into the perspective of families; students are often left to drop out of school because they cannot balance their ongoing life and academic involvement. Even the small city of Junction City, KS contains a large amount of childhood poverty that people may not notice and this can simply by solved by community involvement.

Childhood poverty in the state of Kansas and more directly the community of Junction City has been an epidemic that cannot just be solved by individuals providing information. In the district of Geary County USD 475 there are more than 300 students who have claimed themselves to be in poverty. These students may only have the opportunity to eat a decent meal at school while there are no other means of getting another meal out of school. That is why it is very important for individuals in the community to understand the problems occurring around them and do something as simple as donating food to a local shelter or directly to the school district. The school district of USD 475 has a program in which children in poverty are able to receive a “backpack snack” that contains food for them when they go home for the weekend. Even though this may not be enough, it provides the student with something that will last them until the school week begins. According to the Mckinney-Veto Coordinator for families without homes in Geary County, Marty Rombold, “understanding is just the first step, while taking action is what truly makes a difference.”