KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – Vaccinations can slow the spread of COVID-19, but not the spread of hunger. Many people are still struggling with lost or reduced paychecks as the year-long pandemic drags on.

Thanks to Dick Cochran, Founder and President of Hot Meals USA, the US Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families nutrition program supports hungry people. The program is part of a $ 3 billion effort to distribute surplus produce, dairy and meat products to people with unsafe food.

Cars drove slowly into the Ag building on the Buffalo County Fairgrounds last week and stopped as volunteers loaded free boxes of groceries into their suitcases. People got as many boxes as they wanted.

No ID was required. No questions were asked.

The Kearney Hub reports that scenes like this have been repeated weekly since Cochran found out about the program in June last year and offered to oversee the distribution of the food here.

Cochran now puts in 40-60 unpaid hours a week, not just in Nebraska but in six other states. Much of his time is spent coordinating deliveries with the seller who the groceries came from.

“We’re talking about the location. We need to have a good flow of traffic and cover all the little details. Then we plan the semis so that it comes, ”he said.

Currently, Cochran works with the Liberty Food Company in Kansas City, but that may change. He has also worked with companies in Iowa and Kansas, and Cash-Wa in Kearney.

Deliveries are made in either a 48 foot semi with 960 crates of food and 960 gallons of milk or a 53 foot semi with 1,200 crates of food and 1,200 crates of milk.

Last week, 1,200 boxes of groceries arrived in Kearney from a supplier in Kansas City. Kyla Martin, an administrator who manages community projects for the Community Action Partnership in Mid-Nebraska, has received 300 more boxes of groceries from Cash-Wa. On Thursday, she and volunteers gave it away on the exhibition grounds.

Each box contained canned food, chicken, hot dogs, apples, Colby Jack cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and more. “And just in time for St. Paddy’s Day, red baby potatoes,” said Martin.

The efforts of Cochran and volunteers have helped deliver 625 box-laden semis to people in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. They helped feed more than 750,000 families with food problems during the pandemic.

“We deliver from Scottsbluff to Omaha and many places in between. Imagine 48 semis, each with 1,200 boxes of groceries and 1,200 gallons of milk. That is 57,600 families who are getting enough food for 20 meals and 57,600 gallons of milk. That’s 1,152,000 meals that won’t go to people with food problems until February, ”he said.

He worked hard getting a truck to Scottsbluff.

“They had never received food boxes from the USDA because of their location,” said Cochran. “The pantries in Nebraska are covered in Lincoln and Omaha, but after Lincoln they don’t know the rest of the state exists.”

He’s working on a plan to bring groceries to Texas shortly. Earlier this month, the federal government estimated that 56% of that state’s population had been affected by food because of the disaster, he said.

“We’ll never feed them all, but if we swing that we could feed 120,000 families a week. That’s 2,400,000 meals a week, ”he said. So far he has 1,200 volunteers ready to help through service clubs and other groups.

“Yes, I’m scared to death of it. Maybe I’m not smart enough to know that there is a reason no one has done this yet, but if we don’t try, it would be worse. So it’s in full swing, ”he said

The food is distributed every week in Kearney. So far it will last until March and last until the end of June, the first anniversary of the start of the program. The food was also delivered to Lexington.

“This program has taken on a life of its own. It was a real blessing, ”said Cochran. “With no buildings or staff, we’ve grown to become the largest food distributor in the state. It’s all done with volunteers and lots of prayers. “

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KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – Vaccinations can slow the spread of COVID-19, but not the spread of hunger. Many people are still struggling with lost or reduced paychecks as the year-long pandemic drags on.

Thanks to Dick Cochran, Founder and President of Hot Meals USA, the US Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families nutrition program supports hungry people. The program is part of a $ 3 billion effort to distribute surplus produce, dairy and meat products to people with unsafe food.

Cars drove slowly into the Ag building on the Buffalo County Fairgrounds last week and stopped as volunteers loaded free boxes of groceries into their suitcases. People got as many boxes as they wanted.

No ID was required. No questions were asked.

The Kearney Hub reports that scenes like this have been repeated weekly since Cochran found out about the program in June last year and offered to oversee the distribution of the food here.

Cochran now puts in 40-60 unpaid hours a week, not just in Nebraska but in six other states. Much of his time is spent coordinating deliveries with the seller who the groceries came from.

“We’re talking about the location. We need to have a good flow of traffic and cover all the little details. Then we plan the semis so that it comes, ”he said.

Currently, Cochran works with the Liberty Food Company in Kansas City, but that may change. He has also worked with companies in Iowa and Kansas, and Cash-Wa in Kearney.

Deliveries are made in either a 48 foot semi with 960 crates of food and 960 gallons of milk or a 53 foot semi with 1,200 crates of food and 1,200 crates of milk.

Last week, 1,200 boxes of groceries arrived in Kearney from a supplier in Kansas City. Kyla Martin, an administrator who manages community projects for the Community Action Partnership in Mid-Nebraska, has received 300 more boxes of groceries from Cash-Wa. On Thursday, she and volunteers gave it away on the exhibition grounds.

Each box contained canned food, chicken, hot dogs, apples, Colby Jack cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and more. “And just in time for St. Paddy’s Day, red baby potatoes,” said Martin.

The efforts of Cochran and volunteers have helped deliver 625 box-laden semis to people in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. They helped feed more than 750,000 families with food problems during the pandemic.

“We deliver from Scottsbluff to Omaha and many places in between. Imagine 48 semis, each with 1,200 boxes of groceries and 1,200 gallons of milk. That is 57,600 families who are getting enough food for 20 meals and 57,600 gallons of milk. That’s 1,152,000 meals that won’t go to people with food problems until February, ”he said.

He worked hard getting a truck to Scottsbluff.

“They had never received food boxes from the USDA because of their location,” said Cochran. “The pantries in Nebraska are covered in Lincoln and Omaha, but after Lincoln they don’t know the rest of the state exists.”

He’s working on a plan to bring groceries to Texas shortly. Earlier this month, the federal government estimated that 56% of that state’s population had been affected by food because of the disaster, he said.

“We’ll never feed them all, but if we swing that we could feed 120,000 families a week. That’s 2,400,000 meals a week, ”he said. So far he has 1,200 volunteers ready to help through service clubs and other groups.

“Yes, I’m scared to death of it. Maybe I’m not smart enough to know that there is a reason no one has done this yet, but if we don’t try, it would be worse. So it’s in full swing, ”he said

The food is distributed every week in Kearney. So far it will last until March and last until the end of June, the first anniversary of the start of the program. The food was also delivered to Lexington.

“This program has taken on a life of its own. It was a real blessing, ”said Cochran. “With no buildings or staff, we’ve grown to become the largest food distributor in the state. It’s all done with volunteers and lots of prayers. “

source

The oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi

21c Museum Hotels

Where is the oldest hotel in the west? If you’re looking for a sleepy old inn with passing tumbleweeds you will never find it. America’s oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi is neither dusty nor clumsy, and it’s barely in the middle of nowhere. Despite its 19th century construction, the renovation of the former Savoy Hotel in 2018 brought one of the most recognizable brands in the hospitality industry to the historic site and continued its record breaking service as the 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City. Here’s a look at the history and fascinating art collection within the walls of this Missouri masterpiece and the brand that is breathing new life into its venerable bones.

What is 21c?

The Dome Gallery, 21C Museum Hotel Kansas City

21c Museum Hotels

The essentially contemporary 21c Museum Hotel is a cultural enclave that appeals to both locals and travelers alike, with a free modern art museum, chef-run restaurant, and chic boutique hotel in a single location. The restaurants at 21c hotels have different visions, but all include strong locavore programs highlighting local farmers and producers, and the amazing range of art collected by founders Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson offers more than enough material for reflective, changing exhibitions as well as permanent, often monumental, often monumental installations in most places. There are currently nine 21c Museum Hotels in the United States and two more are in preparation (St. Louis and Des Moines), which are slated to open this year. However, Kansas City, Missouri has most of the history.

The savoy cabbage

Original bar in the Savoy Grill

21c Museum Hotel

What began in 1888 when the Savoy Hotel was quickly remodeled and expanded in 1903 with the addition of a new wing and the Savoy Grill (still the oldest restaurant in Kansas City) as the property gained top status for a luxury stay in the area rise. While the hotel itself became less of a travel destination as the city expanded outward, the Savoy Grill kept business going and attracted the city’s businessmen, such as future President Harry S. Truman, to the popular’s upscale menu and club-like vibe Restaurants. During Prohibition, it certainly didn’t hurt that the Savoyard decided not to remove alcohol from the premises, but instead hung thick curtains over the entrance to hide the alcohol in it. Today, the restaurant is home to many of the most recognizable original features of the place, including the carved oak bar, the 1903 murals painted by Edward Holslag, and booth # 4, a former favorite of the Trumans and preferred booth of later visiting presidents including Harding, Ford and Reagan.

Stand No. 4

21c Museum Hotels

While all of these elements weathered several renovations and even a major restaurant fire in 2014 and you can still book the famous Presidents’ Booth today, small groups may want to ask if they’d like to reserve the secret table in a quirky alcove behind a private door – a modern addition that adds exclusivity and a touch of speakeasy style in the style of the Prohibition era to compliment the heavy drapes that again guard the front door. New to the restaurant is one of 21c’s permanent installations, “Super Catcher,” which contains seven hanging wire and bell dreamcatchers of various sizes and adds Native American voices to the one-sided story previously celebrated within these walls.

Art

The exhibitions in 21c hotels usually take place an average of nine months prior to departure and are monitored by the museum director and chief curator of the 21c Museum Hotels, Alice Gray Stites, with the assistance of museum managers at each location. In Kansas City, museum manager Jori Cheville is currently hosting OFF-SPRING: New Generations, which swaps identity themes often shaped by rituals, ranging from ordinary domestic to lavish cultural themes, all of which have profound formative effects. Sculpture, photography, textiles, technology and mixed media illuminate the cave-like public spaces with high ceilings and original tiled floors on the ground floor. The exhibition continues on the second floor.

Luftwerk, Linear Sky, 2018

21c Museum Hotels

The museum is accessed via an entrance corridor made of powder-coated aluminum LED lights that display an almost infinite series of ever-changing hues in “Linear Sky” and the colors of the natural light of Kansas City are never the same as the look behind them. Opposite the main gallery, in the Dome Gallery, is the museum’s last signature piece, “USA, Crystal Palace”. This lively chandelier crowns the gallery’s dome of the same name and avoids crystals. Instead, uranium glass pendants are used to reflect UV light in the largest of the original 31-part installation at the 2013 Singapore Biennale. This shows the comparable size of the 31 nuclear power countries in the world.

Mohau Modisakeng, Inzilo, single-channel digital video, 2013

21c Museum Hotels

While all 21c museums are typically open to the public year-round, pandemic considerations have restricted open access to hotel guests only at the Kansas City location. However, the public can reserve time to explore at 45 minute intervals. Reservations are available online or online -person. Educational programs and regular tours are also offered during more traditional times and will hopefully come back later this year.

The hotel

21c Museum Hotel Kansas City

21c Museum Hotels

If you’re coming from out of town or looking for a sophisticated place to stay, there’s no need to leave the museum at night. Like all 21c locations, the Kansas City Museum of Contemporary Art is home to a boutique hotel with rooms that display another impressive collection of one-of-a-kind pieces. In Kansas City, every room is adorned with original photos from 21c’s founder and owner Laura Lee Brown’s Arctic voyages, drawing special attention to another of the brand’s most iconic collections, the Penguin Colonies. From the Italian studio Cracking Art, the recyclable plastic penguins are just under 4 feet tall and each city’s colony is a different color. She roams the property freely, showing up in elevators, restaurants, halls and even bedrooms – almost anywhere that guests or employees feel like she is being taken. What started as a temporary installation at the original 21c Louisville location is now a symbol of the brand. While the wild penguins hibernate temporarily to reduce contact points during the pandemic, a handful of light blue birds can still be found on the property in the museum (and above the main entrance).

All 21c Musuem Hotels are pet friendly

21c Museum Hotels

In contrast to most museums, four-legged art lovers are welcome in all 21c Museum Hotels and are treated just as kindly as two-legged guests. Bowls and beds are readily available at most locations, a designated door hanger to alert staff to furry family members, and recommendations of nearby pet-friendly stores for shopping and dining for the whole family so no one needs to be left out of an ornate 21c adventure .

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