Community Caring Council to host 29th annual conference

The Community Caring Council is hosting its annual conference at Dempster Hall on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University at 8:30 a.m. on June 14. The day's agenda will focus primarily on the issue of food insecurity in Southeast Missouri.

In an effort to raise awareness about important issues affecting the region, Community Caring Council annual conference planning committee member Melissa Stickel said the conference is available to anyone in the community.

Community Caring Council is a not-for-profit entity in partnership with Southeast's department of social work, she said. It's also one of 20 community partnerships for the state of Missouri.

"Essentially, we are a social service agency in the community," Stickel said. "Not only do we provide direct client assistance, but we also bring groups of people together."

The event will feature breakout sessions throughout the morning and afternoon, along with several guest speakers including No Kids Hungry program director Jon Barry. Tracy Morrow of Empower Missouri and a representative from the USDA office in Denver also will attend. Morrow will be discussing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

No Kids Hungry focuses on reducing child hunger through after-school meals, breakfasts and summer meals, according to Stickel. The organization also focuses on "filling that gap" and what to do over the summer when there's no school program.

Ideally, Stickel wants a person attending the event to walk away with "not just the knowledge of things that are happening, but they can also walk away with some actionable items on how they can impact food insecurity."

Stickel said a wide range of issues would be discussed, including senior hunger, infant health and food insecurity and summer meals for youth.

"Last year it was on human trafficking," she said, "it's been on housing before, mental health issues and youth issues."

Conference topics are chosen each year based on what's trending, current issues and what people are talking about, Stickel said.

"The idea is that we covered enough of a population that anybody and everybody, if they want to learn more about food insecurity and want to walk away knowing what they might be able to do," she said. "We're excited about it. We have some really fantastic speakers in breakout sessions."

According to Stickel, Community Caring Council is partnering with Empower Missouri for the event. The organization is similar to an advocacy organization and is also part of the legislative reception to follow, featuring local, state and federal legislatures.

"Everybody in Cape Girardeau should be at this conference," Stickel said.

The 29th annual Community Caring Conference is at Dempster Hall on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. A registration fee of $25 is due by June 8, which includes continental breakfast, lunch and appetizers and drinks on the day of the event.

More information can be found online at www.communitycaringcouncil.org/event/conference.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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