A contract has been developed; all that awaits is for it to be finalized between the City of Emporia, United Way of the Flint Hills and Emporia Rescue Mission, with all three entities dedicated to seeing Abundant Harvest operations continue through the remainder of the calendar year.
Deputy City Manager Mark Detter provided this update during a recent appearance on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia, saying once the contract is formalized, the city and United Way will play separate roles when it comes to overseeing operations.
Detter says the city is estimating it could take between $12,000 to $15,000 to continue operations through the remainder of 2025; however, City Manager Trey Cocking has the authority to utilize up to $25,000 without needing city commission approval.
Detter says the contract comes at an important time, with the holiday season just around the corner. Detter anticipates the contracts to be approved by all parties by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the previous directors of Emporia’s Rescue Mission and Abundant Harvest are weighing in on the food kitchen’s impending closure, saying they find it hard to believe finances are the reason for closing the facility.
Lee and Carol Alderman issued a news release Monday, saying the two entities had about $250,000 in bank and investment accounts through Edward Jones, the Emporia Community Foundation and Lyon County State Bank. Lee Alderman says that amount is enough for slightly more than two years of operations for both organizations, based on a total annual budget of around $120,000, and they say money is still available.
Lee Alderman also says two donors stepped back, pulling out between $50,000 $60,000 in donations, but there was still enough money on hand to continue the mission “even if nobody gave a penny.” He also says the hiring of a grant writer was not a concern because the goal was to cover those donations.
The Aldermans also say they talked with representatives of the Rescue Mission board, as well as the city of Emporia and United Way of the Flint Hills, which have pledged to keep Abundant Harvest open through New Year’s Eve — two months longer than the initial Rescue Mission Board plan of closing by Halloween.
However, they believe their concerns were largely dismissed by the Rescue Mission Board.
Board Chair Peter Deblonk has not said whether the board voted to approve Graves as director.
The Aldermans transferred directorship of Abundant Harvest and the Rescue Mission to their son-in-law, Josh Graves, near the start of 2025. Graves was let go when the board announced its plans in late August to close down Abundant Harvest. Lee Alderman says he has limited involvement
With this conversation added to the mix, the city and United Way have been reviewing Rescue Mission’s financial documents to determine the amount and scope of short-term support as well as a partner to continue Abundant Harvest’s mission, whether under the current structure or through different means.
