The Kanab Area Chamber of Commerce May luncheon at the Kanab Center Cascade room saw record attendance during an atypical program. Following a meal from Honey's Deli, Chamber board member Lacee Brown welcomed attendees and announced new and renewing members for the month.
Kane County Commissioner Patty Kubeja presented information regarding the new Community Outreach building before leading the group to the facility for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Chamber vice president Ron Thomas provided giant scissors for the commissioners to use during the event.
The event included tours of four departments housed within the new building. The Kane County Events team, which stores supplies including the Polar Express, noted that the new location is more accessible and closer to town than their previous location at the Kanab airport.
County Facilities Management also toured the new storage and office area. This department, which manages projects ranging from janitorial services to the new rec center and the north events center in Orderville, plans to design a small parts storage area similar to a hardware store.
The Drug Recovery Program was featured as part of the tour. Funded through big pharma settlement money, the two-year program focuses on recovery and prevention to help lower recidivism rates by teaching life skills such as budgeting and resume writing. The program has seen 95 successful graduates.
The final stop was the Kane County Care and Share. Director Jerica Bauer and Utah Food Bank CEO Ginette Bott demonstrated the new space, which is organized like a grocery store with rows of food and carts for participants. The organization also operates locations in Orderville and Big Water.
Bauer noted that the three food pantries receive support from Kane County, local towns, the Utah Food Bank, and the Five County Association of Governments. Donations are provided by Glaziers, Maverick, Pizza Hut, and Best Friends.
Statistics shared by Bauer indicated that in the last six months, the Kane County Care and Share received 12,144 pounds of food from the Utah Food Bank and 7,088 pounds from local donations. During this period, the organization distributed 22,738 pounds of food within Kane County, with 18,351 pounds going to Kanab. Volunteers contributed 94 hours to serve 213 households.
