WINFIELD, Kan. (December 7, 2020) – Cowley County was awarded Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The Board of County Commissioners approved multiple projects for numerous agencies within Cowley County.
Many Cowley County citizens have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and statistic indicate that the winter months will continue to bring challenges to our communities. Cowley County understands that many citizens are tested for COVID-19 and then given instructions to
quarantine themselves until results are received, sometimes 3-4 days. Our intention is to provide a Quarantine Box (Q-Box) to those citizens who require self-quarantine while awaiting test results.
Q-Boxes are a combined effort between Legacy: A RegionalCommunity Foundation, K-State Extension & Research and Cowley County. “The purpose is to provide temporary food and commodity assistance to those tested for COVID-19, so they are able to stay at home awaiting
results,” stated Brian Stone, Emergency Management Director for Cowley County. The Q-Box project, while being managed by the County could not have been done without community help and collaboration. “Yazmin Wood of Legacy and Becky Reid of the K-State Extension & Research Department developed this idea with some great thought put into the nutritional and basic needs of a person on a short-term basis,” according to Lucas Goff, Cowley County Administrator.
The County has created a warehouse to store the food and commodities and a distribution site for assembly. Delivery to select testing sites will be coordinated by the County. The goal is to begin assembly by the second week of December and have 10,000 Q-Boxes by
the end of the year and Cowley County is seeking community assistance in putting those together. Church groups, youth groups and civic organizations are encouraged to participate.
For more information on this project or to schedule a time for your group to assist, please go to www.cowleycounty.org/crf. Cowley County is taking every precautionary measure to ensure the cleanliness and safety of all volunteers and the products being handled.