Help From Us
Programs and Assistance
Youth & Families Program
The Youth & Families Program provides opportunities for our community to stay connected, build relationships, and learn about Native American cultural values and traditions. KCIC provides workshops and events for youth and families to actively participate in Indigenous cultural activities. For our non-Native allies, we welcome you to join us and learn about different tribes, their specific cultures and to understand the difference between appropriation and appreciation.
Behavioral Health Program
The KCIC provides the Morningstar Outreach Program which encourages and assists Native American families in the Kansas City area experiencing alcohol and substance abuse since 1974. The goal of the Morningstar Outreach Program is to provide counseling and case management for Native Americans experiencing alcohol and/or substance abuse and who are wanting to pursue recovery or are in active recovery. Specifically, the Morningstar Outreach Program provides a plan for recovery and various resources in the community for individuals and their families to maintain their recovery from substance use and to continue to live a happy, healthy life without substances.
Food Pantry
The KCIC Food Pantry provides assistance through three main programs based on residency, tribal status, and household income, while operating on the generous support of community contributions. Our programs are designed to improve nutritional health, expand food access, and offer vital household stability.
Health Services Program
The KCIC offers services to help you stay healthy. The Health Services Program offers seasonal vaccines to help protect you from respiratory viruses like influenza (the flu) and COVID-19 in the Fall. The Center also offers health screening and disease education, through finger stick testing of A1C, glucose, and cholesterol, and blood pressure screening (using a cuff on the arm). We can help you keep tabs on an existing condition or find out if you are at risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. The Center also has resources for sexual and reproductive health including condoms, HIV tests (cheek swab), syphilis tests (finger stick), and more. We also provide Narcan to the community.
Civic Engagement
The KCIC seeks to promote civic engagement among Native American people at all levels of government. We promote civic participation through voter education and registration, narrative storytelling, data collection based on Indigenous methodologies and cultural competency, community engagement, collaboration and advocacy. We believe that our voices and perspectives have a vital role to play in addressing the problems of our time through engagement in the political process.