City Chief reports on relief efforts
Originally published 02:18 p.m., February 29, 2008
Updated 02:18 p.m., February 29, 2008
Emporia City Manager Matt Zimmerman sent an e-mail to The Gazette on Thursday afternoon to bring the community up to date on efforts to ease the impact of the Tyson firings. He also had some advice for people who want to be useful in those efforts.
Here is his letter:
This community has rallied around those workers and their families that have been affected by the Tyson announcement. Over 1,200 people attended the Community Fair at Flint Hills Technical College on Feb. 9. This does not count the hundreds of people who attended as employers, representatives of the social service agencies, interpreters and organizers. The Chamber of Commerce and particularly Lori Scott-Dreiling at Camoplast and Karen Brown-Gentz from Sauder Custom Fabrication deserve a huge round of applause for putting together such a successful event. Friends in Faith organized the LCAT routes and found many interpreters. Emporia State University, USD 253 and the Flint Hills Technical College contributed interpreters as well. Over 900 affected people attended informational seminars and signed up for benefits at the Anderson Building on the Lyon County Fairgrounds.
I want to thank the U.S. Department of Labor and the Kansas State Departments of Commerce and Labor for putting on these events and providing much needed information. I also want to thank Lyon County for allowing the use of the Anderson Building.
As you can see, the community has been busy. The Regional Development Agency is working on developing leads to improve the economy in Emporia and provide more jobs. The Buxton retail study will be ready shortly. The city is coordinating efforts to develop a dislocated worker center so affected people have to go to only one location to receive help. Agencies that have agreed to participate or help out include the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, the Flint Hills Community Health Center, the Mental Health Center of East-Central Kansas, the United Way of the Flint Hills and the Salvation Army. We are working to get Kansas Works there as well as utility companies to help with utility bills. We hope to also have a not-for-profit credit counseling agency. There will be offices to ensure privacy. Our goal is to have one location to ensure quick help at one location so people will not have to run all over town to obtain the services they need. This will also help coordinate resources. The center would welcome anyone needing assistance, no matter their situation. Please watch for additional details as they become available.
One question I hear a lot is what I as an average citizen can do to help the workers or the community as a whole. The answer is simple. Please donate food to the Salvation Army or money to the United Way. The Salvation Army will supply food as needed by families and has more than enough room for a huge increase in food supplies. This also includes needed toiletries, such as toothpaste, shampoo and, especially, diapers. The United Way will coordinate emergency relief funds to the agencies and people where they are most needed. All contributions to the United Way are tax deductible. The United Way emergency relief fund policy states that no administrative expense will be held out of these funds and 100 percent will go to the relief effort. These funds will be kept separate from the regular program-funding budget. Please donate where you can. Participate at your local church, where Friends in Faith is coordinating rotating food and fundraising drives so no church feels donor fatigue. Participate in the high school’s Project Emporia. Bring food to the Salvation Army offices at 327 Constitution St. You can donate to the United Way through a payroll deduction at work or mail contributions directly to the United Way at 702 Commercial St. Please note that your donation is for the dislocated workers fund.
Now is the time to store up our resources before the need is there. Workers will receive their last paycheck on March 25. In order to help our fellow residents survive while they look for new jobs, or while they obtain training that will lead to higher pay and a better life for them and their families, we need to meet the immediate need. These are food, shelter and utilities. The Salvation Army and United Way have years of experience to ensure your donations will not be wasted. Please join in helping our neighbors and friends, and our community, stand together to weather this storm and come through to a brighter future.