Author: Fred Atchison

Ryan Bowersox, Director of Marketing and Outreach for Just Food, explains how the agency has expanded its programs in Douglas County beyond the food bank itself. 

Just Food serves 150-300 families each day, providing access to nutritious food while maintaining a sense of dignity for all.  The organization seeks to address the root causes of hunger and to cultivate self-sufficiency .  Just Food also works to establish a culture of stewardship, sustainability, transparency, diversity and equity.  Elizabeth Keever is Executive Director and is responsible for operations, working with an advisory board. 

Program elements consist of food recovery,  pantry shopping and mobile food distribution for rural areas of the county as well as a popular diaper bank.  The newly remodeled main facility hosts educational classes like Just Cook, which provides instruction in food preparation and nutrition.  Kitchen Works prepares people for careers in food service, and Just Grow teaches gardening techniques and makes garden plots available. 

Volunteers play a critical role by working in the food pantry, in the warehouse, as drivers and as instructors.  Volunteers also assist in putting on special food and fund raising events. 

Just Food collaborates with at least 19 agencies to deliver services. Partners include Bert Nash, the Lawrence Community Shelter, the Humane Society, the Willow Domestic Violence Center, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, the Lawrence school system, the University of Kansas, and Haskell University. 

The pandemic has contributed to a huge increase in hunger in the county. Eligibility requirements for service are minimal, and half of the people served are Caucasian. In 2020, 22,433 people were served, almost 2,000 home deliveries were made, 653,473 pounds of food was recovered,  57,600 diapers were distributed, 28 coaching sessions were conducted, and 11,901 volunteer hours were logged. 

Kevin Smith, Dean of Libraries at University of Kansas, spoke on the myriad of changes and challenges facing today’s academic students and librarians.  Smith is well qualified to address the topic as his academic credentials are extensive.  He did his undergraduate work at Hamilton College in New York, earned an MA Degree in Religion at Yale, a Masters in Library Science at Kent State, and a law degree from Capital University.  Before arriving at KU, Smith served as Director of Copyright and Scholarly Communications at Duke University.  In addition to his duties as Dean of Libraries, Smith is Director of Universities Press and teaches copyright for the KU Law School. 

The focus of Smith’s talk was on changes and challenges for academic libraries and academic students in the digital age.  The digital age has actually increased the importance of librarians as the challenge today is not so much finding information but navigating and evaluating the overwhelming amount of what is available.  Accordingly, librarians still have an important teaching role, including information literacy with an emphasis on authentication of sources and material. 

Present copyright laws were not created to deal with digital information on the Internet.  Information is mostly proprietary, and users must engage complex user agreements, licensing, and an array of new services.  These challenges come at a time when we have lost our traditional “canons of authority” for creating and conveying information.  Authentic information exists on the Internet along side false and purposefully slanted information. 

Smith also addressed new models of publication, including publishing on-demand and open source text books.  University students face great challenges in the digital age, but professional librarians are prepared to provide guidance and assistance.

On Wednesday, October 13, a group of Rotarians and their guests toured the Encountering John Brown exhibit at Watkins Museum.  LCR is one of the sponsoring partners of the exhibit which will be open noon to 8:00 p.m. through November 6. 

The exhibit tells the story of the radical abolitionist John Brown by utilizing first-hand accounts and illustrations from his time period.  Kansas artist Brad Sneed created large illustrated panels which serve to emphasize significant points in his story. 

Brown grew up in Ohio where he encountered strong abolitionist ideas.  He came to believe that he was an instrument of God in the fight against slavery and that violence was a just response.  Brown married Dianthe Lusk, and together they had seven children.  He worked as a tanner and a stock man through out his life, and was not always successful in business.  Brown also lived in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and became involved in the underground railroad.  In 1883 he married Mary Ann Day, and they had 13 more children. 

In 1856, Brown moved to Kansas to engage in the fight to keep slavery out of the territory.  He lead a bloody reprisal raid on a pro-slavery family near Potawatomie and fought in skirmishes at Black Jack and Osawatomie.  Brown then led an 1859 raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, hoping to spark a slave rebellion.  However, Brown was captured and several of his party were killed. 

Brown’s trial and execution gained national attention.  His actions inflamed the South and emboldened abolitionist, pushing the nation closer to war. 

At a meeting after the tour, Rotary members commented on the variety of Brown’s life experiences and on the number of famous people he encountered along the way (Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Robert E. Lee).  There was a good discussion about whether Brown was a martyr or a terrorist.  The jury is still out on that point, but there is no doubt that John Brown had a huge impact on his time.

The Ogallala Aquifer is a remarkable natural resource that lies under eight states in the high plains, including Kansas.  The aquifer makes up an area of some 174,000 square miles in the heart of the country.  The name comes from the underlying geologic strata that serves as an ideal subterranean catch basin for rain water that seeps into the ground. 

“Crisis on the High Plains”, an article by Jeremy Frankel, and a CBS news report video provided our program. 

The use of central pivot irrigation after World War II provided a great boost to agriculture in the region.  Today the aquifer is the source of 27% of irrigation in the United States and provides drinking water for 2.3 million people.  This remarkable resource is now in danger from agricultural chemical pollution and over extraction.  The depth of the aquifer varies from 400 to 1,400 feet and every year the depth drops several feet due to overuse.  The aquifer is recharged by annual rainfall that slowly seeps into the ground.  Presently extraction far outpaces the rate of renewal.  Agricultural chemicals have polluted portions of the aquifer.  At the present rate, the aquifer will be depleted and unusable before the end of the century, creating an economic disaster. 

Scientist believe that changes in agricultural practices and other conservation measures could extend the life of the Ogallala considerably.  Some farmers have adopted dry land farming techniques that require less irrigation.  Scientist and environmentalists call for a dramatic change in the culture of agriculture. 

Farmers disagree about how best to address the problem.  Some states have begun to implement regulations intended to reduce the depletion of the aquifer, but other states are taking a voluntary compliance policy with conservation measures.  Time will tell if the Ogallala Aquifer can be saved.

Steve Evans, retired architect and member of the City’s Multi-Modal Transportation Committee, introduced a proposal for a new pedestrian/cyclist bridge crossing over the Kansas River.  Steve, an avid cyclist and resident of North Lawrence, has long had concerns about pedestrian and cyclist safety on the bridges crossing the river.  He and other people who shared his concerns formed a work group called RiverFront & Center to discuss the issue. 

Steve explained how the present walkways on the bridges are narrow and congested. The southern end of both bridges are particularly hazardous for pedestrian and cyclist traffic.  The work group developed a new bridge proposal that not only could solve congestion and safety issues but also serve as an aesthetic asset for the river front area.

Kent Williams, an artist, architect, and urban aesthetics collaborator, presented several illustrations and details on three possible bridge designs.  Kent spoke of the historical importance of the riverfront area and of the great potential for making it a focus of development and activities as many other communities have done.  All of the proposed designs would be ADA accessible and connect with the Lawrence Loop trail, the downtown, City Hall, green space and parks, and other cultural amenities. 

Also in attendance in support of the new bridge concept was Sujoy Dhar, an architect and urban designer, and City Commissioner Courtney Shipley.  The City Commission will hear a presentation on the Kaw River Commons bridge concept on September 21st.