Peabody Community Foundation recently hired Becky Nickel to fill its part-time administrative assistant position. 

Nickel is a resident of rural Peabody. She co-founded Prairie Harvest Market and Deli in Newton in 2000 and was a co-owner until 2014.  In addition to working with PCF, Nickel will continue to work part-time at Prairie Harvest.

“I look forward to working with the PCF board and the Peabody community — the folks who support the foundation with donations and the groups who receive PCF grants,” Nickel said. 

She also will help with PCF events such as Pancake Day and November Open House, and she will manage mailings and maintain records for PCF.  

In addition, she will work closely with the Central Kansas Community Foundation based in Newton.  Peabody Community foundation was the first affiliate of CKCF and continues as one of 15 partner organizations under the CKCF umbrella. 

“Since its inception PCF has seen substantial growth. With matching money from Kansas Health Foundation, we were able create a fund to help with yearly operations and we are now capable of hiring a part-time assistant to help us move to the next level,” said N.M. Patton, PCF board chairman.  “Having Becky work for us will allow our board to focus on growing the foundation’s endowment and distributing scholarships and grants to community groups rather than paperwork and record-keeping.”

PCF now has approximately $40,000 available to use in Peabody. Approximately $28,000 of that money is directed to designated funds that are set up by donors for specific purposes, which includes the PCF Operating fund.

The balance is available to local nonprofit organizations in the Peabody area seeking assistance and most is given through the grant system in February at Pancake Day.

Nickel will have an office in the Peabody Township Library basement. She can be reached at admin@peabodycommunityfoundation.org for information about the foundation, to set up a fund for a specific purpose, for information about the grant application process or to apply for a grant for a local organization.