Morning Star

A Home Base on the East Side

LINC Caring Communities at Morning Star meets you where you are, however that looks.

Most people know LINC for before and after school care, and that work matters deeply to us. But walk into Morning Star Youth and Family Life Center on any given day and you’ll see how much further LINC’s reach actually goes.

Morning Star is where families find rent and utility assistance when things get tight. It’s where seniors and neighbors pick up groceries. It’s where a chess tournament and a community court hearing might happen under the same roof, days apart. Morning Star is proof that LINC shows up for the whole person, not just the school-age years.

That range comes from LINC’s Caring Communities model, which connects families and neighbors to resources right where they live, through community hubs like Morning Star.

Everyone who walks through our doors is treated the same way, with an open heart and a real willingness to help. We don’t send you somewhere else and hope it works out. We walk with you until your barrier is gone.

Everything Under One Roof

Whatever the need, Morning Star has a way to meet it.

Emergency Assistance

Our emergency assistance team specializes in helping families and individuals in crisis, including making connections to rental and utility assistance, and accessing the Morning Star’s food pantry and clothing closet.

Food Distribution

Every Wednesday at 10 a.m., we provide fresh fruit, vegetables, and protein items. Call the center for the current schedule. If mobility is a barrier, we’ll arrange help so you can still get what you need.

Community Gatherings

Morning Star’s location makes it a natural meeting place. The Urban Summit, Community Court through the Kansas City Municipal Court, and LINC’s annual Caring Communities Day celebration all call this corner home.

Senior Wellness

Older adults find real support here, from annual health and wellness fairs to chair yoga classes and regular health screenings. It’s steady, ongoing care built around the people who show up week after week.

Youth Programs

Kids find plenty to do at Morning Star, including spring break camp, summer camp, and LINC’s chess camp and university. We’re also a USDA site for free summer meals, so no child goes hungry.

Holiday Celebrations

Families count on Morning Star when the holidays roll around. We bring extra joy through events like Shop with a Cop, the Angel Tree gift event, and large-scale distributions of food, resources, and toys.

Morning Star Youth and Family Life Center

A LINC Caring Communities Site

2525 E. 27th Street,
Kansas City, MO 64127

(816) 216-1245

Hours
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Born From Our Community's Need

LINC Caring Communities at Morning Star Youth and Family Life Center is a partnership forged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Kansas City’s east side needed help fast and close to home.

We delivered vaccinations, rent and utility assistance, and food distributions. What began as a response to one urgent need became a hub where families and neighbors could find several kinds of support under one roof.

Former Missouri Governor Mike Parson called Morning Star “a model for our state and our nation.” The numbers show why. During the pandemic, Morning Star helped 25,685 people receive COVID-19 vaccines, delivered more than 8 million pounds of food to over 150,000 households, and provided $3 million in rent and utility assistance to 2,000 households.

What we built during the pandemic never stopped. We’re still here, every week, for whoever needs us.