The Food Bank, local agencies and schools partner to meet Mid-Missouri needs
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri is set to host its 19th annual One for One Holiday Food & Fund Drive on Wednesday. Items gathered will provide food to families in need during the holiday season and beyond.
The Food Bank has more than 145 partner agencies and 200 partner schools that help distribute food in its 32-county service area.
“It's a very big operation," Community Engagement Specialist Carlos Byrd said. "Our team down at the warehouse has got a big calendar with all of our partners in it, and every year we do a big round of scheduling everyone's pickups and deliveries.”
In Boone County, more than 30 agencies partner with The Food Bank, including Aging Best, Hogan House, In2Action, Powerhouse, Tiger Pantry, True North, Turning Point and Welcome Home.
Byrd is the community engagement specialist for Boone County, where he said the need for food is high.
“In our service area of Boone County, in Columbia specifically, is the highest population area and specifically the highest food insecure population. So this is really where we are seeing the most need,” Byrd said.
Columbia's Hogan House Food Pantry started in the winter of 2020. Do Something Right Now Executive Director Sue Riley, a nonprofit which Hogan House falls under, said The Food Bank helped get the pantry started.
“Our very first donation from was from them [The Food Bank], and it was this beautiful refrigerator," Riley said. "And we were so excited to get it because it was our first steps.”
Back then, the Hogan House was providing 200 food boxes a month.
Five winters later, and Riley said the pantry serves about 150 families each weekend.
She said items are delivered daily through The Food Bank's retail rescue program.
“It’s a huge blessing because this week, every time we emptied our shelves, we got a retail recovery and that filled them back up,” Riley said.
Byrd said The Food Bank has many retailer partners from grocery stores to restaurants that donate food nearing its expiration.
He said Columbia's new Trader Joe's has been a great donation partner this season.
"On Hogan House's first pickup from Trader Joe's, they got an entire van full when they went. It was really lovely," Byrd said. "Later in the day, the store captain over at Trader Joe's called the contact at Hogan House and said, 'Hey, do you want to come get an entire other van full?' So they got a whole other round of food and donations for that day. And that meant that their donation distribution to neighbors the next couple of days had a lot of really great fresh produce."
Boone County isn't the only area in need.
In Cole County, The Food Bank has 11 partner agencies, including Building Community Bridges, Catholic Charities, First Christian Church Food Pantry, Rape & Abuse Crisis Services, Salvation Army and the Samaritan Center.
The Food Bank's interactive map can help people find partner agencies or schools distributing food near them.
The most needed items at the One for One Holiday Drive are canned meat/protein, canned fruits and vegetables, canned soups/chilis/stews, boxed meal kits, cereal, peanut butter and pasta, according to The Food Bank's website.
The Food Bank also welcomes monetary donation. $1 helps The Food Bank provide three meals, according to spokeswoman Katie Geisler. That means a $25 donation will provide at least 75 meals.
Food and funds can be donated at two locations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday -- the Columbia Mall and Buchheits in Jefferson City. The Food Bank's purchasing power turns every $25 donated into at least 100 meals.
Firefighters from Columbia Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 1055 will volunteer during the One for One drive. The 12-hour event will also have fire engines, music and Santa.
People interested in donating can visit sharefoodbringhope.org for more information.
