With need growing and resources dwindling, Shawnee Mission residents step up to boost Cares Fund

Shawnee Mission residents have come through in recent days to help shore up a fund critical to helping students and their families in need.

The Shawnee Mission Education Foundation’s Cares Fund was established to help provide financial assistance to district families facing financial stresses: unpaid rent after unexpected medical expenses, for example, or utility bills after a lost job.

Over the fall, the foundation saw more requests than ever before come in. With disbursements of more than $30,000 over the past 12 months, the fund balance had dipped into negative territory.