Riley County Commissioners on Nov. 6 approved a plan by the county maternal and child health (MCH) program to purchase Thanksgiving meal packages for approximately 275 households with infants enrolled in WIC or MCH, and to buy food and beverages for a Dec. 2 "pop-up" community baby shower in Ogden.

Bridal Spencer, maternal and child health supervisor, told commissioners the initiative is intended to help families affected by the federal SNAP disruption and other pandemic-era stresses. She said Hy‑Vee agreed to partner on assembling and staging the packages, and that UnitedHealthcare has donated funds to cover refreshments for the baby‑shower event.

The county will use existing, budgeted MCH program funds already approved for client support and outreach. Budget staff said the estimated cost for the Thanksgiving packages is about $17,000 based on current grocery pricing; staff will collect sign-ups and confirm final counts before purchase. Commissioners approved both the purchase‑card use for the baby shower and the allocation of MCH program funds for the Thanksgiving packages.

Commission staff said packages will be distributed primarily at Hy‑Vee with accommodations for households that need alternate pickup or delivery. The programs will limit the outreach to infants ages 0–12 months residing in Manhattan, Riley, Randolph and Ogden, per staff caseloads; Leonardville had no infants enrolled at the time of the meeting. County officials noted that, even if federal benefits are restored, local families may still face a lag before any federal reimbursement reaches households.

County leaders said the meals and community event are intended as short‑term relief targeted at current program clients and that all expenditures will comply with program rules and grant conditions.