Blue’s K.C. Food pantry. Housed at the Counseling and Advocacy Center in the Jewell Student Center Building on the main campus and at the Technical Education Center. All currently enrolled KCKCC students from all campuses can access the food pantry. It offers a variety of canned, boxed, refrigerated, frozen, and fresh food, as well as household and personal hygiene products. Monetary and/or food donations are welcome. For more information and/or to volunteer, contact the Counseling and Advocacy Center at 913-288-7640. Donate Now
The Cooper-Foreman Heirloom and Native Ethnobotanical Gardens is a collection of ethno-botanical gardens located on the main campus on the north side of the Flint Building. The purpose of the gardens is to promote a greater awareness and appreciation of the historic gardening culture of Wyandotte County prior to 1920, while teaching children and adults how gardens looked, were tended, what plants the gardens contained, and how the plants were used. Volunteers needed! Contact Pam Louis-Walden at 913-620-6930 or plouis01@yahoo.com.
A Giving Grove of 13 fruit trees was planted in 2016. We had our first harvest in the fall of 2019. Located just south of the Flint Building on the main campus. Wyandotte County has a food insecurity rate of 18 percent compared to the Kansas average of 16.5 percent. Food insecurity happens when people have limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Giving Groves such as ours help to alleviate some of that food insecurity and help community members live a healthier lifestyle. If visiting the grove, please do not pick the fruits. A majority of harvested food is donated to students in need. Volunteers needed to water, harvest, and more! To volunteer, contact Dr. Melissa Gentzler, KCKCC Assistant Professor of Biology at mgentzler@kckcc.edu.
KCKCC Campus Vegetable Garden serves as a classroom for students in nutrition classes, who are able to enjoy some of the produce they helped produce, with much food also donated to charity. Located on the south side of the Flint Building on the main campus. Volunteers needed! Contact Dr. Melissa Gentzler, KCKCC Assistant Professor of Biology at mgentzler@kckcc.edu
KCKCC Natural wood and nature trail. A committee formed in 2018 with the intention of upgrading the trail, including handicapped accessibility, our outdoor classroom and signage within the wood. Located to the east of the Field House on the main campus. Both students and employees are welcome to volunteer and/or join the committee. If you are interested contact Penny Mahon at pmahon@kckcc.edu or 913-288-7285.
KCKCC Sustainable Environments Committee promotes environmental, economic, and social practices in an equitable manner by education and example. It is the main body at the college working to drawdown greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon, and make our campus and community more sustainable and resilient. Student and employee members are needed! Contact Penny Mahon at 913-288-7285 or pmahon@kckcc.edu.
Wyandotte County Ethnic Festival The mission of this “human family reunion” is to Reclaim our Common Humanity. The annual event held each April in the Field House on the main campus provides food, educational booths, performances and entertainment, highlighting the strength in diversity of the county. There is also a children’s corner. To volunteer, contact Dr. Curtis Smith, KCKCC retired professor at cvsmith6405@gmail.com.
AirQ Workplace Partnership. We are a member of this service provided by the Mid America Regional Council (MARC) located in KCMO. Newsletters are emailed to the entire campus community twice monthly during ozone season (March – October.) Information provided includes tips to reduce air pollution, local workshops, and more. Many of these actions also save money. Ozone alerts are also sent out. Air pollution is a leading cause of asthma, which, in addition to lead poisoning, is one of the principal health concerns in Wyandotte County. Volunteer opportunities are sometimes available.
Bridging the Gap works to make the Kansas City region sustainable by “connecting environment, economy, and community.” An affiliate of Bridging the Gap, the mission of the Heartland Tree Alliance is to engage people of the Greater Kansas City region to take action and advocate for a healthy community forest; Stronger communities through healthy trees. They also sponsor the TreeKeeper program, the goal of which is to provide a corps of trained volunteers as a resource for local municipalities, school districts, and neighbor associations in our region. TreeKeepers lead tree planting, pruning, and maintenance projects in our communities. They also receive training in environmental awareness and basic arboricultural principles. Volunteers are also needed for many other things, including local recycling centers, planting trees, picking up litter, removing invasive species, and more.
CleanAirNow is dedicated to improving air quality in Kansas City and the surrounding region, particularly in communities with vulnerable populations affected by disproportionate environmental health burdens and to preventing and mitigating disease caused by air pollution. Their service area consists of the KC and Topeka metro regions in addition to Brown County, which includes the reservations of all indigenous tribes in Kansas. They are an equitable coalition and partnership of multiple groups, including academia. Their work includes empowering youth and adults, monitoring air pollution, citizen science and other research, and educating community, youth, college students, and professionals as well as providing internship opportunities for college students and others.
Climate Action KC (CAKC) is a regional collaborative bringing elected officials and community leaders together to reduce emissions, improve climate resilience, invigorate the economy, promote public health, and improve the quality of life across the Kansas City region. CAKC recently published its Regional Climate Action Plan in coordination with the Mid-America Regional Council for the bistate metropolitan area of 10 counties in Missouri and Kansas. The Regional Building Energy Exchange serves as a one-stop-shop to help drive greater energy efficiency in the built environment. Also hosts workshops throughout the year and an annual summit. Students, consider joining the Youth subcommittee. They need your input! You can also volunteer to be an ambassador and promote the new regional climate action plan in your own or other communities.
Climate + Energy Project (CEP) builds resilience in Kansas through equitable clean energy solutions and climate action. Volunteers needed during election season for their Climate Voters Take Action project.
The Climate Reality Project Founded by former Vice-President Al Gore in 2006, trains leaders to educate their communities through presentations and action on climate change to emphasize the urgency of the crisis. You can become a leader too! Currently several virtual trainings are scheduled each year. Also consider joining their Climate Corps for college students.
Cultivate Kansas City works to grow food, farms, and community in support of a sustainable, just, and healthy local food system for all. They believe that growing and sharing local food nurtures our ability to care for each other and the world in which we live. In partnership with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, they also manage the New Roots for Refugees program, which trains refugees with agricultural experience to become independent farmers. Many resources are located on their site, including listings of local farmer’s markets. Volunteer opportunities are available for individuals and groups including events and field work.
Deep Roots encourages the appreciation, conservation, and use of native plants in the heartland through educating, collaborating, and facilitating the planting of regenerative native landscapes that are essential for a healthy planet. Their name reflects native plants’ deep roots, which are regenerative, meaning they can actually repair some of the damage caused by modern civilization. “What you plant matters.” Volunteer opportunities are available.
Drawdown of the Heartland offers free courses about Project Drawdown and strives to inspire community level action around Drawdown solutions. Content is based on a collaboration between Project Drawdown and the Pachamama Alliance. They work mostly in Kansas. Volunteer opportunities are available. Find them on Facebook.
Greenability. Founded in 2007, local magazine covering everything green and sustainable in the greater Kansas City Metropolitan area. Beginning in 2015, online only at www.greenabilitymagazine.com. The KCKCC Library has hard copy issues from 2007 – 2015. Volunteer opportunities are often listed.
Harvesters. Our local organization to feed the hungry. Volunteer and take action by giving Food, Time, Money, and/or Voice. Their web site has a Food Assistance Locator for churches, charities, food banks, centers, and other organizations and locations.
KC Drawdown Society provides information on the local Drawdown Movement. They work mostly in Missouri. Volunteer opportunities are available.
KC Healthy Kids Established in 2005 to remove barriers to health habits for communities across the region, they work in schools to promote youth leadership, mental health and early education. Staff help community partners to strengthen our regional food system and improve access to healthy foods. Local food and food policy are improved through several initiatives including Kansas Food Action Network and the Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition. In addition, they work to establish Complete Streets and Safe Routes for Kids. Volunteer opportunities are available.
KC Farm School at Gibbs Road empowers individuals of all ages, abilities, and ancestries through community-wide, on-farm, hands-on experiences and job training opportunities, connecting them to the land and soil, food, themselves, and their communities. The school works to honor their rich history while creating a future with programs including the Farm Club, Farm Camp, Farm School, and Let’s Grow Wyandotte. Volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups are available.
Kansas City Community Gardens (KCCG) empowers and inspires low-income households, community groups, and schools in the Kansas City Metropolitan area to grow their own vegetables and fruit as they work to transform the local food system. Provides numerous workshops and gardening resources, and oversees the Giving Grove program. Volunteer opportunities are available.
Kansas City Food Circle promotes a sustainable regional food system by connecting eaters with local, organic, and free-range farmers and providing an alternative to the industrialized agricultural system. Hosts many events, including a local foodie book club. Eat. Connect. Read. Play.
Kansas Environmental Organizations
Learn and volunteer.
Monarch Watch is a nonprofit education, conservation, and research program based at the University of Kansas that focuses on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall migration. It is a volunteer-based citizen science organization. Promotes protection of monarch habitats throughout North America. Sustaining monarch habitats will have the effect of protecting vital pollinators and other wildlife.
National Wildlife Federation unites all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Learn how to create habitats for wildlife: attracting, feeding, and providing cover for wildlife at home, at school and on campus. Their Eco Leaders program provides leadership and career development for college students and young professionals. Also hosts the annual RecycleMania competition for colleges and universities.
The Resilient Activist is based in Kansas City, builds resilience, optimism, and hope in response to the impact of the climate crisis. Offers community-building programs, activities, stories and articles that offer inspiration, self-care, and mental health support. Programs are immersed in deep nature-connection and designed to nourish positive ecological change. Volunteer opportunities are available.
ScrapsKC cares for Kansas City’s environment, education, and homeless through creative reuse. They are KC’s first creative use center. Their store is located in Midtown KC, but you can also order materials online. Monetary donations as well as donations of time, materials, and supplies to the center or for the homeless are greatly appreciated. Volunteer opportunities abound, and they especially welcome college student volunteers! Volunteer if you are creative, love people and kids, are handy with tools, want to assist with processing materials, enjoy activity preparation, or wish to help feed the homeless.
The Sierra Student Coalition is a network of young people across the country working to protect their generation’s future.