SIKESTON – Southeast Missouri Food Bank recently awarded a total of $10,000 to four of its partner agencies across its 16-county service area. The funds will allow the agencies to increase and improve their distribution process.
“Over the past year, each of these partners has demonstrated true dedication to serving their communities,” said Camille Peters, chief impact officer at SEMO Food Bank. “These groups are on the frontlines of the fight against hunger, and often work with limited resources.”
Grants were awarded to:
- Broseley Senior Community Center in Butler County
- Helping Hand in Dunklin County
- Kennett Oaks Nutrition Center in Dunklin County
- Regional Family Crisis Center
The grant opportunity was open to all of the food bank’s 140 partner agencies, who were invited to submit a request for a maximum of $3,000 with information on what would be purchased and how it would allow them to better serve their communities.
The grants were used to purchase things like new shelving and freezers that will allow the agencies to be more efficient in distributions and increase their storage capacity.
We’re happy to be able to award these grants to allow our partners to better serve neighbors facing hunger,” Peters said. “Whether it’s additional freezers or improved storage, by increasing their capacity, they are also increasing access to food assistance.”
Southeast Missouri Food Bank serves about 80,000 individuals each month through a network of 140 partner agencies and other programs. The food bank’s 16-county service area has some of the highest rates of hunger in the state, where one in six neighbors, one in five children and one in eight seniors are food insecure. Seven of the 10 most food insecure counties in the state are in southeast Missouri.
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. 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.