A team effort: Food Bank distributes over 11.8 million pounds of food in 2018

Friday, April 19, 2019
Seventh grader Drake Wilhelm tapes a box to prepare it for filling with food items while volunteering Thursday at the Southeast Missouri Food Bank in Sikeston. About 30 students in sixth through eighth grades from Kelso C-7 Elementary in New Hamburg volunteered Thursday to help fill boxes for individuals served by the Southeast Missouri Food Bank in Sikeston.
Leonna Heuring/Standard Democrat

SIKESTON — Southeast Missouri Food Bank highlighted another record-breaking year of food distribution in its recently released 2018 Annual Report and credited community support for that growth.

The report, which was released April 1, showed the distribution of 11,878,412 pounds of food That poundage means 9,898,676 meals for over 62,000 Southeast Missourians in 2018.

“Distributing nearly a million pounds per month demonstrates the compassion and dedication of donors, volunteers, staff and friends,” said Joey Keys, SEMO Food Bank CEO. “I continue to be inspired by the support of so many. We are fortunate for the support received here in the Heartland.”

In 2017, the total pounds of food distributed was 10,474,861, and the total in 2016 was 9,892,867, according to the annual report.

Over 180 nonprofit hunger relief agencies in 16 counties of Southeast Missouri benefit from the Southeast Missouri Food Bank. These counties include: Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard and Wayne.

Member agencies include food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters for the abused and homeless, senior citizen programs, low-income children’s programs and non-profit rehabilitation facilities.

Volunteers work six days a week to sort, repack and label the food received from food drives and pack food for senior citizen boxes through the Community Supplemental Food Program, or CSFP. In 2018, more than 4,800 low-income senior citizens received a nutritious box of food each month, according to the Food Bank’s annual report.

In 2018, Food Bank volunteers packed 1,590,200 pounds of food. Nearly 900 volunteers donated 5,754 hours of their time.

Mary Thatch, community outreach coordinator for Southeast Missouri Food Bank, said many individuals and groups often contact her to volunteer — and there is always room for more volunteers.

“What better way to pay it forward than to help fill boxes with food for those in need,” Thatch said.

Individuals and nonprofit organizations, such as church and school groups, are among those who typically volunteer their time, Thatch said. Some even volunteer on a regular basis, she said.

Most recently, a group of about 30 sixth through eighth grade students from Kelso C-7 Elementary in New Hamburg volunteered for their first time to prepare boxes and fill them with food to be delivered to senior citizens.

Seventh grader Jace Owens said he enjoyed the three-hour volunteer effort.

“It makes me feel good to help others, and it makes me a better person to help others,” Owens said while filling a box with items.

Owens and his peers — along with their three teachers and two Food Bank staff members — worked together Thursday morning to fill nearly 800 boxes which will be sent to low-income seniors in need.

During their three-hour session, the students divided into two groups — one to prepare cardboard boxes by taping them together and the other to work the assembly line: packing the boxes one ingredient at a time as the box moved down the line; closing and taping the box; and stacking it on a pallet before adding the final touch: a personal sticker telling the recipient their package was filled by Kelso C-7 students.

Kelso C-7 seventh grade teacher Julie Hahs organized the trip after visiting the Food Bank in last fall.

“I was so impressed with with it and the hard work they do here,” Hahs said about the Food Bank, adding she thought the students would benefit from visiting and volunteering at the Food Bank.

Hahs was right. She said the students seemed to enjoy the experience, and she was impressed with their efforts and hard work they put in while volunteering on Thursday.

Eighth grade teacher Penny Hale agreed. She said Thursday’s experience will also be the perfect reference for an upcoming social studies lesson in industrialization.

“The students are doing a wonderful job and learning a wonderful lesson,” Hale said. “Service is an important lesson for everyone.”

Before beginning their volunteer efforts, Thatch said the Kelso C-7 students also received a tour of the Food Bank, learning many details about the Food Bank and all it does. They were given a snack and bottled water during a break in their three-hour shift.

Volunteer opportunities are available from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, Thatch said. Those interested in volunteering should contact Thatch by email at mthatch@SEMOFoodBank.org.

Founded in 1985, in Sikeston,(formerly the Bootheel Food Bank), Southeast Missouri Food Bank provides food to charitable and disaster relief programs in Southeast Missouri. Southeast Missouri Food Bank is affiliated with Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest), the nation’s food bank network. Currently, there are 20 staff members.

In addition to total poundage and volunteer information, other highlights from the Food Bank’s 2018 annual report include:

— Nearly 97 percent of the Food Bank’s expenses were for food programs.

— Distributing nearly a million pounds of food each month provided 27,119 meals each day.

— Distributing nutritious food remains a priority. The Farm to Food Bank program gave the Food Bank 1,719,894 pounds of locally donated fresh produce

— Continued good stewardship practices ensured that 96.90 percent of gifts were used for program services.

— Over 200 Truck to Table Mobile Food Pantries served an average of 203 families at distributions.

— The Backpacks For Friday program provided 572 children and their families with six meals each weekend during the school year.

Keys invited individuals to view the Food Bank’s full 2018 Annual Report, which can be found online.

“You will be amazed by the support and generosity of people, businesses, churches and organizations in Southeast Missouri,” Keys said. “If you would like to tour our facility in Sikeston, please give us a call at (573) 471-1818.”

Southeast Missouri Food Bank’s 2018 Annual Report may be viewed at https://www.semofoodbank.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Annual-Report-2018.pdf

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