The Department of the Army has announced the fall 2016 deployment of 1st Infantry Division headquarters from Fort Riley, with approximately 500 soldiers to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Inf. Div., will assume the role of Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq, replacing the 101st Airborne Division ( Air Assault ). In that role the division headquarters will provide command and control of coalition troops training, advising and assisting Iraqi Security Forces.

Feeding the hungry in Geary County was the overall focus for multiple organizations who met during a FEAST ( Food-Education- Agriculture-Solutions-Together ) meeting on Saturday at the C. L. Hoover Opera House.

Miranda Klugesherz, Chair of the Junction City Food Policy Council, said hunger in Geary County is massive. “It’s estimated that about one in every five individuals suffers from food insecurity in Geary County so this is really an issue that I’m not sure a lot of the people in the county are necessarily aware of , but it is extremely pressing.”

A recent study released by the Kansas Health Foundation ranked Geary County as the most food insecure , meaning hungry county in the state.

During the session on Saturday participants divided up into three sub-groups that focused on areas ranging from transportation and education to marketing.

Julie Hettinger served with the education group. “We found that there was a need to collaborate more among organizations that do education. We do have Live Well Geary County which is a group that comes together and meets on a monthly basis, but we decided we needed to have kind of a sub-working group just on education that comes together and says here’s what we bring to the table. We know you do this, but how can we collaborate more on what we’re doing in the community.”

Ideas generated during the session from the different sub-groups ranged from establishing monitors in waiting rooms, at the food pantry, and other locations where education is needed to researching other communities who are addressing hunger and development of a marketing campaign on local healthy food access.

Vision goals that were set ranged from educating the community on all aspects of the food process to developing an inventory for existing food education resources.

The Crisis Center is yet another of the many agencies that are supported by the generous contributions made to the Junction City – Geary County United Way.

Latanya Butler, Crisis Center Senior Case Advocate said that the monies received from the United Way are critical to their services.

“That money is critical in making sure we stay afloat and being able to provide our services to the community; I know that it’s distributed in a way that we’re able to maintain our shelter, able to maintain services for clients, and be able to respond,” said Butler.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Crisis Center is no stranger to the unfortunate cases of violence in the community.

“When we meet the survivor we kind of start where he or she is at in the situation; it could be, ‘I need assistance with getting information about a protection order’…or trying to find out how to provide safe options for [her] and [her] family,” said Butler.

Everyone’s situation is different so Butler said they like to assess each situation individually.

“[For example] we may offer a client that I might meet at the courthouse…safe shelter for [her] and [her] children,” said Butler.

For more information on the Crisis Center please visit https://www.thecrisiscenterinc.org/.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please call the 24 hour hotline at 1-800-727-2785; local callers may dial 785-762-8835.