SIKESTON, Mo. – The Landing in Van Buren, Mo., will again give floaters the chance to give back to help neighbors facing hunger.
On Saturday, July 13, The Landing will donate 10 percent of all rental costs to Southeast Missouri Food Bank. The food bank serves 16 counties in southeast Missouri, including Carter County, where The Landing is located. In 2023, The Landing donated more than $2,000 to the food bank following the event.
“The Landing is excited to partner with the food bank and help families across our area defeat hunger through ‘Float to Feed Southeast Missouri,’” said Jeremy Bedell, family owner of The Landing.
According to the most recent Map the Meal Gap data, southeast Missouri has some of the highest rates of hunger in the state of Missouri, with 1 in 6 individuals and 1 in 5 being food insecure. Seven of the top 10 most food insecure counties in the state are in the food bank’s service area.
“High food costs have really taken a toll on people over the last few years, and we’ve seen that reflected in food insecurity numbers,” said Sarah Garner, chief advancement officer of SEMO Food Bank. “And now, with summer, families are having to spend more on food, plus you add in all the people who were affected by the tornadoes Memorial Day weekend, so we know a lot of neighbors are needing help right now. We’re very grateful to The Landing for hosting ‘Float to Feed Southeast Missouri’ for two years in a row.”
SEMO Food Bank serves 80,000 individuals each month through its network of partner agencies and direct service programs. For more information about Southeast Missouri Food Bank, please visit semofoodbank.org.
For details on floating at The Landing, visit https://thelandingcurrentriver.com/floating/.
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 140 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 5,575 senior citizens and weekend backpacks of food during the school year to 1,200 students in area 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.