SIKESTON, MO – Southeast Missouri Food Bank served nearly 12.8 million meals to neighbors facing hunger in 2022, as inflation caused more people to seek food assistance, some for the first time.
“Inflation was a real challenge for many people last year,” said Joey Keys, chief executive officer of SEMO Food Bank. “Seniors on fixed incomes and working families found their dollar didn’t go as far, and had to make tough choices when it came to purchasing food, making rent or paying bills. We served about 10,000 more people a month in 2022 than we did in 2021. I’m proud that with the support of our donors, we were able to meet that need.”
The food bank also saw growth in 2022, opening a second location in Cape Girardeau County and adding programs that will increase access to nutritious foods.
The food bank serves 80,000 individuals each month through a network of 140 partner agencies and programs in a 16-county service area. Other highlights from 2022 include:
• Providing monthly food boxes to 5,350 senior citizens
• Partnering with 30 school districts to provide food for the weekend to 1,270 students
• Distributing more than 2 million pounds of fresh produce, donated in part by local farmers and growers
• Holding 321 mobile food distributions, each providing 200 families with nutritious food
• Completing 1,633 SNAP applications to link people to an important resource to obtain food on a regular basis.
You can find the food bank’s complete 2022 Annual Report online at http://www.semofoodbank.org/…/02/2022-Annual-Report.pdf.
About Southeast Missouri Food Bank
The mission of Southeast Missouri Food Bank is to end hunger and leverage the power of food to build healthy communities. The food bank provides food to 143 charitable and disaster relief programs in Southeast Missouri. These member agencies include food pantries, soup kitchens, domestic violence and homeless shelters. Southeast Missouri Food Bank also holds regular mobile food distributions and provides monthly boxes of food to 5,350 senior citizens and weekend backpacks of food during the school year to nearly 1,200 students in 30 school districts. The food bank’s 16-county coverage area includes Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, and Wayne counties. Those interested in helping can do so by making a tax-deductible contribution, donating food, or scheduling a time to volunteer. Visit semofoodbank.org for more information.