Elizabeth B. Ballard Community Center

06/05/2026

Ms. Tori and the Lions led the charge today during KU Spirit Day, cheering on the KU baseball team this weekend! Pretty soon, the whole Ballard gang joined in, and it was a celebration that we won't soon forget! Knock it out of the park, for real,

06/05/2026

We're honored to be nominated in a few categories for this year's Best of Lawrence, all conveniently located under the "Community" section. Tomorrow is the last day to vote, so make sure to cast yours!

Best of Lawrence is a great chance to recognize many of the worthy nonprofits in our community who are helping our community's most vulnerable. Whether it is providing affordable housing options, safety from domestic violence, food for those who need it most, services for our aging community members, giving folks a new career or life path, or a safe space to weather the storms of life, our community has a huge network of talented people working hard every day to make life, and the lives in our community, a better place.

If you want to vote for us, we'd love that, but please take time to at least fill out the community section and amplify the voices of the amazing nonprofits in our town.

Link to vote in comments!

06/03/2026

We are happy to welcome Growing Food Growing Health into the Ballard family of services. This amazing program provides fresh, free, local produce grown by student gardeners and distributed during our open hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2-4pm at our pantry 708 Elm Street.

The kids gave our staff a tour and it was a wonderful experience all around! We're so excited to bring this awesome program to our Ballard community!

06/01/2026

Every child deserves a chance to thrive. That's a simple idea, but it shapes everything we do at Ballard.

We believe high-quality early childhood education shouldn't be reserved for families who can afford the highest tuition. It should be available to every child in our community.

That's why we've committed to our 7% Tuition Model, ensuring that no enrolled family pays more than 7% of their household income for care. Because when children have access to safe, nurturing, high-quality early learning experiences, our entire community is stronger.

If you're looking for a place where your child can learn, grow, and belong, we'd love to talk with you.

Enrollment information is in the comments.

05/31/2026

Our emergency pantry relies on donations from our community! We accept clothing for all genders, hygiene items & laundry pods, and non-perishable food items. There's a list of accepted items in the comments!

Thank you for your support!

05/27/2026

Come down and join us for fresh, free local produce from 4-6pm at 708 Elm Street & celebrating Growing Food Growing Health joining the Ballard family!

We got music.
We got recipes.
We got herbs.
We got radishes.
We got Sunrise Project and the Lawrence Farmers Market!
All we're missing is you!!

05/23/2026

We're so excited to welcome Growing Food Growing Health to the Ballard family and to be able to offer fresh free local produce to our community!

A Lawrence nonprofit that promotes local food access and hires young gardeners is integrating with the Ballard Center to help bring more free and fresh produce directly to the community. “We believe that access to fresh food should be welcoming, dignified, and community-centered,” Ballard COO Wi...

05/21/2026

Our Volunteer of the Month for May is none other than our Board Chair, Steven Koprince! Steven's journey has taken him from volunteering in our pantry to serving on the board, and he also comes in to help us ensure that all the kind folks who donate to us receive letters and donation receipts.

Steven has an excellent letter about his journey in our 2026 Annual Report, coming out shortly! Thank you, Steven, for everything you do at Ballard!

05/19/2026

Do you enjoy working with kids AND Excel spreadsheets?

We're looking for someone who can bridge the gap between caring and calculation, someone who can teach a child and reconcile. If that's the kinda pivot you can table, please check out our job listing and apply! Link in comments!

05/19/2026

Hi all!
We're running low on some hygiene essentials, including: small bottles of shampoo and small bottles of conditioner, body wash, and small bottles (or pods) of laundry detergent. We love it when these products are neutral or lightly scented. We are also continually in need of reusable grocery bags for folks shopping in our pantry.

Donations can be brought to the Ballard Annex at 708 Elm Street, any time between Monday and Friday, 10 AM - 2 PM. Want to donate but can't do it during that time? Give us a call at 842-0729, and we can arrange an alternative drop-off time! Thank you!