Shawnee County extension office reports new staff, partnerships and community education outcomes

Candace Stiles, Shawnee County Extension Office director, told the Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on April 7 that the office is fully staffed and continuing a mix of nutrition, youth development and agricultural outreach across the county.

Stiles opened the quarterly report by introducing the office’s newest hire, Adalie Tompkins, as the family and consumer sciences agent. “We’re always serving Shawnee County residents with research based information,” Stiles said.

The office reported 2,309 direct educational contacts for the January–March quarter. Stiles and program agents described several ongoing initiatives that affect food access, youth programming and volunteer services in Shawnee County.

Sofia Diaz Bueno, the Extension EFNEP and SNAP‑Ed agent, described work tying nutrition education to food‑pantry services in the Highcrest community. She said the office partnered with a community resource center to open a “Healthy Choice” pantry and followed pantry openings with the Create Better…