Lawrence Sertoma Club
The 2011 Service to Mankind Award Winner
Katie Studebaker (and family)
Katie Studebaker (and family)
Awards and Honors
In 1965, the Studebaker family moved to Lawrence and have been part of our community ever since.
Katie started working part time when the youngest of her three daughters started school. When the youngest child was out of high school, she began working fulltime in the HR department of the school district. She was in charge of getting substitutes and worked with the certified teacher's applications. She retired form USD 497 in 2000, but that was just beginning years of Katie's voluntary work.
Katie Studebaker's work with LINK (the Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen) began with her involvement with the First Christian Church. She was the church coordinator for LINK from 1991-1992. After she retired from her full time job in 2000, she began attending the LINK board meetings. She is the current president of the board and has been for several years (at least 5 or 6).
The purpose of L.I.N.K is to provide a pleasant, safe place for the hungry or lonely to share a free, nutritious meal and companionship with others. LINK believes loneliness can be as painful as hunger, and companionship as powerful as love. Anyone who desires a meal is served with no questions asked. Diners are treated as invited guests. Counseling is not provided, however, individuals are referred to appropriate agencies when they ask for help. The focus is on food and fellowship. LINK is open four times a week - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. (The Salvation Army provides a hot meal on the other days.) LINK has a budget of its own, but the bulk of the food and service is provided by volunteers from local churches and other community groups.
Additional volunteer activities for Katie include being the co-chair of the Outreach Ministries' for the First Christian Church. She always wanted to start a food pantry but was not able to do so until about one and a half years ago. The food pantry has no application; it just provides food for those who request it. Each month the number of people served has grown, beginning with 62 and now it is around 110. The pantry is open on the third Thursday of the month. Each person gets a bag with ½ gal. of milk, 1 lb of hamburger or hot dogs, 2 cans of vegetables, 2 cans of soup, laundry detergent, toilet paper (1 roll) and other items as they become available.
The newest addition to the Katie's outreach activities includes setting up a "Helping Hands Closet" which provides gently-used items such as linens, dishes, and household items to those who have been homeless but now have a home. She feels that so much is needed in setting up a home that she wanted to help.
When asked what she was most proud of given her many volunteer hours, she said the Food Pantry and the fact that they try to give meat each month.
We always provide our recipients with a check for $100 to be used as they wish. Not surprisingly, Katie wants the $100 to go to the food pantry
Katie started working part time when the youngest of her three daughters started school. When the youngest child was out of high school, she began working fulltime in the HR department of the school district. She was in charge of getting substitutes and worked with the certified teacher's applications. She retired form USD 497 in 2000, but that was just beginning years of Katie's voluntary work.
Katie Studebaker's work with LINK (the Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen) began with her involvement with the First Christian Church. She was the church coordinator for LINK from 1991-1992. After she retired from her full time job in 2000, she began attending the LINK board meetings. She is the current president of the board and has been for several years (at least 5 or 6).
The purpose of L.I.N.K is to provide a pleasant, safe place for the hungry or lonely to share a free, nutritious meal and companionship with others. LINK believes loneliness can be as painful as hunger, and companionship as powerful as love. Anyone who desires a meal is served with no questions asked. Diners are treated as invited guests. Counseling is not provided, however, individuals are referred to appropriate agencies when they ask for help. The focus is on food and fellowship. LINK is open four times a week - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. (The Salvation Army provides a hot meal on the other days.) LINK has a budget of its own, but the bulk of the food and service is provided by volunteers from local churches and other community groups.
Additional volunteer activities for Katie include being the co-chair of the Outreach Ministries' for the First Christian Church. She always wanted to start a food pantry but was not able to do so until about one and a half years ago. The food pantry has no application; it just provides food for those who request it. Each month the number of people served has grown, beginning with 62 and now it is around 110. The pantry is open on the third Thursday of the month. Each person gets a bag with ½ gal. of milk, 1 lb of hamburger or hot dogs, 2 cans of vegetables, 2 cans of soup, laundry detergent, toilet paper (1 roll) and other items as they become available.
The newest addition to the Katie's outreach activities includes setting up a "Helping Hands Closet" which provides gently-used items such as linens, dishes, and household items to those who have been homeless but now have a home. She feels that so much is needed in setting up a home that she wanted to help.
When asked what she was most proud of given her many volunteer hours, she said the Food Pantry and the fact that they try to give meat each month.
We always provide our recipients with a check for $100 to be used as they wish. Not surprisingly, Katie wants the $100 to go to the food pantry
Lawrence Sertoma Club
PO Box 327 - Lawrence, Kansas 66044
PO Box 327 - Lawrence, Kansas 66044