PURPOSE The Training Intern/Practicum Student will assist Empower Missouri’s Advocacy Director in expanding and enhancing the organization’s statewide education and outreach efforts. Interns/Practicum Students will help identify and research speaking opportunities, build contact lists, support training logistics, and, when appropriate, deliver brief presentations. The ideal candidate will be well-organized, capable of self-direction, and comfortable communicating […] The post Training I...| Empower Missouri
PURPOSE The Development Intern will assist Empower Missouri’s Advancement team in supporting donor stewardship, prospect research, and fundraising operations that sustain and grow the organization’s impact across the state. Interns will contribute to donor communications, data management, fundraising campaigns, and event support. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals interested in developing skills in nonprofit […] The post Development Internship – Spring 2025 appeared firs...| Empower Missouri
PURPOSE Empower Missouri is seeking a Food Security Intern or Practicum Student to support our advocacy work aimed at increasing food security for Missourians. Interns and practicum students will contribute to policy research, testimony development, coalition-building, data analysis, and public education efforts. This is a valuable opportunity for individuals interested in public policy, community engagement, […] The post Food Security Internship or Practicum – Spring 2025 appeared first ...| Empower Missouri
Three years and a half years ago, in a little town in southwest New Mexico, I worked in a high school. I was working towards my teaching degree because I wanted to be a positive influence and make a difference in kids’ lives. In this position, I saw the true inequity in our community. Watching students struggle with access to food, housing, and lack of access to resources was a hard, heart-wrenching thing to witness. And five months ago, I packed up a U-Haul trailer, drove 16 hours, and set...| Empower Missouri
The post Action Alert: Minimize the Burden for DSS & Our Grocery Stores appeared first on Empower Missouri.| Empower Missouri
We’re on day seven of a government shutdown, and there’s no end in sight. In the US, we’ve endured 11 shutdowns (including this one) since 1980, when we began requiring all nonessential government activities to cease when legislation to finance government operations hasn’t been passed before the start of the fiscal year. (The federal fiscal […] The post Empower Missouri’s Statement on the Government Shutdown appeared first on Empower Missouri.| Empower Missouri
When we talk about mass incarceration, the first image that comes to mind for many is a prison cell door, slamming shut. But while Missouri state prisons incarcerate over 23,000 people, the primary form of incarceration that people face is the one closest to home: detention in local and county jails. There are approximately 9,800 […] The post Mass Incarceration in Your Backyard appeared first on Empower Missouri.| Empower Missouri
Our Statement on Executive Order 25-30 On Monday, September 29th, Governor Mike Kehoe and the Missouri Department of Social Services announced the submission of a waiver request to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to authorize changes to Missouri’s SNAP program that “prioritizes healthy foods and nutritional value, discourages foods that are high in […] The post SNAP Restrictions: An Unnecessary Burden for DSS and Our Grocery Stores appeared first on Empower Missouri.| Empower Missouri
On July 31, 2025, more than 30 cross-sector partners gathered in Columbia, Missouri, meeting inside the incredible new Food Bank Market at The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri. Convened as the Missouri Rural Food Access Partnership, our charge was clear: to understand how the newly-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is reshaping […] The post Missouri Rural Food Access Partnership Is Charting the New Food Landscape After OBBBA appeared first on Empower Missouri.| Empower Missouri
In Part 1 of our two-part Weekly Perspective series on youth justice, we talked about the different paths a kid may take through the system. We also discussed the science of why kids are different than adults and should be treated as such by our laws. This fact was underscored in 2012, when the Supreme […] The post Youth Justice in Missouri: The How appeared first on Empower Missouri.| Empower Missouri