On Sunday, Heartland Farm in rural Pawnee Rock said goodbye to a seven-member team of young volunteers from the AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), thinking they were sending them off to their next project. But on Tuesday, NCCC informed volunteers they would exit the program early, due to federal government cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
More than 2,000 people ages 18 to 26 years serve in NCCC for a year, helping with disaster relief and working for nonprofit organizations. The teams that spent several weeks working at Heartland Farm also helped with disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Helene and they helped build a trail at the Mississippi River State Park in Arkansas. Heartland Farm is a ministry of the Dominican Sisters of Peace.
A post on the Heartland Farm Facebook page notes dismay at the DOGE cuts.
“We thought we were sending them off to their next project, another lucky organization where they would touch people’s lives and create lasting change. Instead, all of them were sent home (Tuesday) hours after learning that AmicCorps NCCC was shut down completely by DOGE.
“We were devastated on behalf of our awesome AmeriCorps team and all of the other NCCC members who are suddenly at a loss. And we’re mourning the opportunities lost to young people across the country who don’t get this once-in-a-lifetime experience to work hard, gain new skills, and make a difference.”
The Great Bend Tribune contacted Sr. Jane Belanger at Heartland Farm, who said she was saddened by the news.
“This continues to be a busy time (at the farm), even without the AmeriCorps folks. As the FB post says, we are more than dismayed at the administration’s decision to axe the NCCC program without notice, in the middle of the term for its members. We, at Heartland Farm, have experienced the value of this program, not only for us as a nonprofit benefitting from the service from the crew of seven young people, but for the growth, experience and confidence that they were acquiring through it,” she said.
“I am sad for each one of them,” she continued. “I am sad for the many other young adults throughout the U.S. who experienced the same abrupt termination. I am sad for the agencies, disaster sites, public facilities on all levels of national, state, county and municipal levels that will not have their projects completed – thus denying all the benefit of the AmeriCorps NCCC labor.
“This is more than a ‘necessary’ budget trimming; it is another example of mean-spirited, irresponsible and dangerous behavior on the part of our government that has been entrusted with the common good of all of us. This particular move speaks to the disregard this administration has for the lives and future of our nation. Our voices need to be heard on behalf of so many abruptly stranded, and disinherited by the nation they were serving.”
