Kansas Benefit Bank expands into SW Kansas

Inter-faith Ministries of Wichita will soon begin expanding the Benefit Bank in southwest Kansas, initially to Barton, Ford, Finney and Grant Counties.

The Most Rev. Ronald M. Gilmore, bishop of Dodge City, together with a wide range of denominational leaders, is convening the Benefit Bank Seminar for interested parties to discuss its implementation.

The seminar will be held Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 3231 N. 14th, Dodge City.

"Not one of the 28 counties in southwest Kansas reaches the median income level for the state of Kansas," stated Bishop Gilmore. "At the same time, southwest Kansas has unemployment rates lower than the State average. We have a very hard working population, be they farmers or meat-packing plant workers, who must struggle to provide adequately for their families. The Benefit Bank provides us a way to do something on the local scene to help these working families."

Created by Philadelphia-based Solutions for Progress, the Benefit Bank was designed to help people overcome barriers that have prevented them from taking advantage of programs that can help strengthen their economic condition. "Some individuals think they are not eligible for certain benefits, others get lost in the complex application process or they are simply unaware the benefits even exist," said Robert Brand, CEO for Solutions for Progress. "The Benefit Bank provides an easy and efficient way to get the benefits to those who need them most."

The Kansas Benefit Bank is a one-stop shop for services and benefits that support low-wage working families. Staff or volunteers using web-based software developed by Solutions for Progress will simplify the application process for benefits such as food stamps, health insurance, childcare subsidies, and tax credits and refunds. Social service agencies, parishes, congregations, faith-based institutions, community organizations and private employers can serve as sites for the Kansas Benefit Bank.

Bishop Gilmore is joined in these efforts by Bishop Scott Jones, United Methodist Bishop of the Kansas West Conference; Bishop James Adams, Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Western Kansas; Bishop Gerald Mansholt, Lutheran Bishop of the Central States Synod, ELCA; Reverend Dr. Donald Owens, General Presbyter of the Presbytery of Southern Kansas, and Dr. Paxton Jones, District Minister for the Central and High Plains Direct of the Christian Church in Kansas.

For further information and to register for the seminar, contact Debbie Snapp, executive director of Catholic Social Services, at 620-227-1562, or emal dsnapp@dcdiocese.org, or bishop@ dcdiocese.org. Please put TBB Seminar in the subject line. A $5 registration fee covers the cost of lunch.