Month: November 2025

TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The AFL-CIO Community Services’ annual Adopt-a-Family Christmas program is back for its 43rd year, and it’s seen an increase in applications this year, compared to others.

The program is designed to help disadvantaged families with children, disabled adults and seniors in St. Joseph to have a good Christmas.

The non-profit started accepting applications on Monday and has already received over 300.

Applications can be picked up in person or online. There’s a $2 application fee for paper applications and a $3 application fee for online applications.

Ashley Luthans, AFL-CIO Community Services program coordinator, said this year will be big for the program.

“I think we’re going to have a lot of applicants this year, and with that, we’re going to need a lot of adopters and we’re going to need a lot of volunteers,” she said.

Luthans said the reason the program will be seeing more applications is due to the economy.

“Which is very unfortunate…and it makes me sad that more people are struggling and that more people are going to need help,” she said. “But it also makes me happy that we have this program and we’re able to offer that help to those who need it.”

Nichi Seckinger, AFL-CIO Community Services executive director, said this program is important because the holiday season is hard for a lot of families.

“You know, there’s a lot of people that really live paycheck to paycheck…The added expenses of Christmas are just more than they can do,” she said. “So, without having programs like these, they just won’t be able to do things for their kids. But every kid deserves to have Christmas.”

Seckinger said the program has a long-lasting impact on the community, community involvement and support.

“It’s really incredible to know that people are willing to step up and help and that we have that kind of a larger group than just the five people we have on staff,” she said.

The applications for adopters open on Nov. 14.

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News-Press NOW

By: Darren Doyle

BUCHANAN COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) — Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett has released the 2025 Halloween compliance numbers for registered sex offenders in the county.

A total of 252 registered sex offenders were checked on Halloween. Of those, 210 were found to be compliant with the Missouri statute, which prohibits their participation in Halloween-related activities.

Thirty-seven of the offenders were verified as being at work during the checks, while 17 unhoused offenders reported to the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office that evening.

Twenty-three violations were submitted to the Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney for potential charges resulting from the compliance checks. Twenty-one of those were violations of the Halloween statute, and two were related to residency restrictions.

The evening’s operation was led by Investigator Kenny Shryock and Sex Offender Analyst Cindy Ownby, assisted by 34 Sheriff’s Deputies, three administrative aides from the Sheriff’s Office, as well as a member of the St. Joseph Police Department and a Deputy from the U.S. Marshals Service.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) —  College can be stressful enough — classes, exams and everything in between. For some students at Missouri Western State University, there’s an added worry: not having enough food or basic necessities.

That’s where the Campus Cupboard steps in. 

Tucked inside the Dean of Students Office under the Division of Student Affairs, the Campus Cupboard has been serving MoWest students since 2015.

The Cupboard is stocked with frozen food, canned goods and hygiene items– essentials to help students get through the week.  

Megan DeShon-Runge, MoWest’s director of student activities and engagement, said the Cupboard has become an important resource to bridge the gap for students facing food insecurity. 

She said she’s noticed an increase in students using the cupboard this year — a trend likely tied to recent reductions in SNAP benefits that have impacted many families.  

“We have seen a lot more frequent visits to the cupboard. They can take 10 pounds of stuff, per visit, twice a month. Everything goes into one bag and will get weighed,” DeShon-Runge said.  

DeShon-Runge emphasized how important the Campus Cupboard has become — especially now, as many students are reaching a point in the semester when dining dollars or meal plans start running low. 

She said it’s easy for students to access the cupboard. All they need to do is show their student ID and sign in so staff can keep track of visits and items taken.

“All of the information is taken down and put into our database so we know how many students are visiting and how many pounds are being taken, so it helps us budget and keep track of it,” Runge said.  

Student worker Morgan Saavedra said she started at the Campus Cupboard back in January, and the job quickly became personal for her. She shared that the mission hits close to home because she knows what it’s like to face financial struggles. 

Saavedra added, most of the food items available are canned or pre-packaged, making them easy to prepare — usually with just a stove or microwave.  

“I think having this has made students feel more relaxed, just so they don’t have to worry too much about buying food or groceries and concentrate more on their school work and be more at ease,” Saavedra said.  

Saavedra shared that growing up reliant on food stamps often made life financially uncertain, which is why working at a place like the Campus Cupboard feels especially meaningful to her.  

“We provide basic stuff to students just to kind of get them through the end of that next paycheck or month when times can be a little rough,” Saavedra added.  

Saavedra hopes to keep the cupboard fully stocked so more students can use it and learn about the support it offers.

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