Food for the Hungry in Wichita
This map shows food pantries and meal sites associated with the Kansas Food Bank and summer meal sites operated by USD 259 Wichita Public Schools. Click on icons for times and dates that food is available. Meal sites are shown with a fork and knife. Pantries are shown with a milk and apple. Summer food sites of children are shown with a sun.

April Message To Members
Is now available to view. Filled with helpful information for our laid off members. Including helpful phone numbers. C.O.B.R.A information and more.

Prairie Land Food
Is a Kansas Not-for-Profit/501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to helping those who help others. By celebrating and uniting communities through cooperation and volunteerism we build a stronger and bright future for all concerned.
Do you volunteer as a 4-H leader or a soccer coach, sing in the church choir, teach Sunday School, or volunteer in the church nursery. Do you pick up trash on your daily walk, say a pray for those in need, visit a homebound friend, or give of your time in some other way? If so, you are eligible to participate in Prairie Land Food.
Our program offers a nutritious grocery package which includes a wide assortment of frozen meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, just like you see in major grocery stores in exchange for your volunteer hours. Packages are offered at a low cost, helping to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your food dollars.
PRAIRIE LAND FOOD is not a government funded program; there are no income guidelines. We are funded through you – the participant. The more people that participate, the greater the buying power, and the more communities will benefit through volunteer service.
No fine print, no gimmicks, no term commitment how often you participate is up to you!
Visit their website for all the information.

Help Unemployed Kansas Workers
View the Flyer released to the shop floor.
In March, the Kansas Department of Labor announced that the state’s unemployment rate is the highest it has been in 25 years. To help struggling Kansans during this difficult economic time, Rep. Raj Goyle,
D-Wichita, introduced legislation last month to bring nearly $70 million in federal stimulus money to the state's unemployment fund. The bill passed the Kansas House, but the Senate hasn't taken action.
   The legislation contained two important provisions to strengthen the state's unemployment laws. House Bill 2374 will modernize the method of determining a worker's base wage period and increase the number of workers eligible for unemployment benefits.
   The Kansas Department of Labor has reported that calls to the call-center have doubled recently to 11,000 to 12,000 calls from the little over 5,000 a week, just a short time ago. The need is urgent Please contact your state senator now.  Send an email http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/kwb_unemployment
Then, take a moment to make a phone call to Senator Carolyn McGinn at (785) 296-7377. Tell your Senator to support HR 2374 to help Kansas's unemployed workers.
Finally, please spread the word to at least five co-workers or friends with our easy tell-a-friend page http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/kwb_unemployment/forward/8us8xeu447x

AFL-CIO and Working America Offer Lifeline to America’s Unemployed
The nation’s largest labor organizations, the AFL-CIO and Working America, launched an online Unemployment LifeLine campaign to give America’s unemployed workers more resources. UnemploymentLifeLine.com is an online lifeline—a Yellow Pages meets Wikipedia—for unemployed workers. Click here to read all the important information.

NEWS RELEASE
United Way has secured a facility for a Laid-Off Workers Center.
WICHITA, Kan. — United Way of the Plains announced today that it has secured a location for a Laid-Off Workers Center. The space is being donated by Via Christi Senior Services in the West River Plaza office complex, 2622 W. Central, Wichita.
“We are so pleased that Via Christi Senior Services stepped forward with their generous offer of donated space,” said Patrick J. Hanrahan, president of United Way of the Plains. “Their gift of facilities means we can focus all of our financial resources directly on families in need. This is a huge commitment to the community.”
The Laid-Off Workers Center is targeted to open by the first of June. At the request of Mayor Carl Brewer, United Way agreed to lead the coordination efforts of the center. Until the center opens, laid-off workers can find local services to assist them by calling United Way’s 24-hour information line: dial 2-1-1. United Way’s 2-1-1 call specialists have information about financial counseling, food assistance, job training, mental health services and more from numerous local nonprofits and government agencies.
Individuals wishing to donate to the Laid-Off Workers Fund which will assist individuals through the center can make checks payable to “United Way Laid-Off Workers Fund” and mail to: United Way Laid-Off Workers Fund, 245 N. Water, Wichita, KS 67202.

Programs, Resources Available for Unemployed Members
As the recession continues to hit working families hard and economic uncertainty looms, the IAM Employment Resources Department is committed to helping IAM members weather the storm.
If you are without work and facing financial difficulties, visit the IAM’s Unemployment Resources page on www.goiam.org for a list of available resources. The page provides information on health insurance alternatives, employment assistance, benefits, job search tools, retraining, and help with mortgage payments, creditors, and debt.

Job Search Help for our Displaced Members
Here are some Job Site Links that may help our Laid Off Members find employment.
Surviving Layoff
Aeroindustry
IAM Employment Service
Kansas Job Link
Kansas State Civil Service
Kansas Dept. of Labor
Working for America Institute
The Layoff Lounge
Census Jobs
Employee Benefit Systems
Senior Services helps find jobs for people 55 and up 

File For Unemployment Online
File online and save time.

Stimulus Package Includes COBRA Subsidies
Among the provisions of the new stimulus package signed by President Obama are subsides for unemployed workers continuing their health care benefits through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) Cobra Coverage Continuation Assistance

If You Are Being Laid Off And Have Physical Problems Report Them
Recent economic problems have resulted in many workers receiving layoff notices. Many of these workers have valid work-related injuries but fail to protect their rights. Kansas law requires that an injured employee give notice to their employer within 10 days of any work related injury. Many workers, especially those with hand and arm problems, have not reported their injuries to their employers out of fear of being medically laid off. When these same workers are laid off in a general economic layoff, they must report their injuries within 10 days of their last day of work.
Many of the aircraft employers in this area perform a pre-employment physical, including a hand and arm electrical test, on new employees. Workers who have had previous hand and arm problems will not pass these tests and will not obtain employment. These same workers will not be able to make a claim against their previous employer unless they have reported their work related problems within ten days of their last day worked.
If you receive notice you are being laid off, report any physical problems you think are caused by or made worse by work to your employer with a witness. The reporting of any injury should not affect call back rights.
If you are being laid off and have physical problems; hands, arms, neck, back, etc., call our Union attorneys Hammond, Zongker & Farris, at 262-6800 for free legal advice and a free legal consultation. Don’t let your employer cause you more economic harm than they already have.

Wichita's Laid-Off Workers Center Now Taking Appointments
If you have been laid off and need financial assistance, you can begin calling the Laid-Off Workers Center today for help.
The center, which offers financial assistance for food, shelter and utilities and help in job searches, opens June 1.
United Way of the Plains workers will begin taking appointments at 8 a.m. today. People have until Friday to request an appointment in June. The center will stay open for as long as it is needed.
The center can't replace paychecks, but they can help with basic needs such as food, utilities, and shelter after laid-off workers have exhausted other financial assistance."
The center -- at West River Plaza, 2622 W. Central -- will be open on a monthly basis as needed beyond June.
To receive assistance, people are asked to call and make an appointment.
"It's mandatory they pre-register," Hanrahan said. "We do this for two reasons: We don't want people standing in long lines. And, we want people to feel this is a dignified process. We want them to have the right paperwork they will need to bring with them from the start."
To make an appointment, people are asked to call the United Way's information number at 2-1-1 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
People who may qualify for assistance from the Laid-Off Workers Center are people who were laid off due to lack of work and approved for unemployment compensation after Oct. 1, 2008.
They will need to show they have emergency financial needs and have insufficient personal resources to adequately provide food, clothing and/or shelter; and that they have been laid off from a job in Sedgwick, Butler or Sumner counties or lived in those counties at the time of the layoff.
"We want people to know that regardless where they live -- they may have worked at an aircraft company in Wichita and live in Marion County, they may be eligible to receive aid," Hanrahan said.
Services the Laid-Off Workers Center will provide include:
• Emergency financial assistance such as for food, utilities and shelter.
• Budget and debt management counseling and arrangements for utility bill payment plans.
• Help applying for government programs, job training and job search assistance, as well as continuing education information.
The center also will provide on-site child care services during the appointment.
Via Christi Senior Services has provided the building space and furniture for the center, Hanrahan said.
"It is a wonderful, secure location with good parking," Hanrahan said. "It answered all the things on our wish list."