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 Health class, teaching participants to use shelf‑stable and canned goods in recipes. Diaz Bueno reported measured class outcomes from the quarter: 83 percent of participating children and youth improved their ability to choose foods according to the Dietary Guidelines (MyPlate), 70 percent improved food‑safe handling practices, 80 percent increased physical activity practices and 45 percent improved their ability to prepare simple, affordable foods.

The office also described a recent grant award that Stiles said will support early steps toward a farm‑to‑food‑truck program. Stiles said the Kansas Health Foundation committed $250,000 to K‑State Research and Extension for a set of hunger‑relief projects, and that 22 of 30 county projects that applied were funded; Shawnee County’s proposal will start with creating a community garden at the partner site and will involve SNAP‑Ed educators and the extension horticulture agent.

4‑H and youth programming were another focus. Stiles said 4‑H youth attended spring programs at Boys and Girls Club sites, and 4‑H ambassadors visited Rock Springs 4‑H Center for team‑building activities. She highlighted a Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge that advances winners to the statewide Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge; Stiles said the county winner, identified as Alana in the meeting, will compete in the state event on Thursday the 17th.

Agriculture and natural‑resources outreach included a prescribed‑burning workshop that drew high attendance; Stiles said 41 percent of attendees had never performed a prescribed burn but expressed interest. Lane Wiens and Abigail (last name not specified in the transcript) were reported to be involved in horticulture and livestock care programming, respectively.

Volunteers and partnerships continue to expand service delivery, Stiles said. The office trained 30 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers in January; those volunteers prepared tax returns for 826 people through March at four sites (three in Topeka and one in Rossville). Stiles noted that some programs are supported by partner organizations such as Go Topeka and United Way, which provide non‑extension funding or logistical help.

A commissioner asked whether federal or state budget actions had already affected Extension programs. Stiles said, “So, the answer is not as of now,” and added that while state budget proposals have targeted K‑State funding lines (including a reference to state “105” dollars routed through urban partners), she did not expect an immediate direct cut to Shawnee County extension funding. Stiles said some partner initiatives that received 105 funds were administered outside the extension office.

Stiles concluded by summarizing that the quarter’s work emphasized nutrition education tied to pantry access, youth engagement through 4‑H and entrepreneurship contests, volunteer capacity through VITA and Master Gardener training, and early planning for a garden that could feed into a broader farm‑to‑food‑truck effort.

The board did not take formal action on the report.