Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., is pictured Aug. 20, 2015.
Lawrence resident Ben Turner’s most recent meal consisted of beans and cornbread, and his two kids have been relying mostly on the cafeteria food and small cartons of milk the school district has been handing out to families during the coronavirus pandemic.
Like others, Turner has been waiting on extended unemployment benefits from the Kansas Department of Labor, which were funded by the federal coronavirus stimulus package approved by Congress at the end of December. He hopes the money will hit his account soon, but it’s been weeks, and he’s losing sleep as food runs low and expenses pile up.