Mobile food pantries traveling to serve storm-ravaged areas

Many people in multiple locations suffered property damage as a result of the damaging storms that raged through the area early Sunday morning; and one area of damage that may have hurt the largest number of people could be in the kitchen.

Many areas were left without power for a prolonged period of time. The greater portion of the city of Dexter had no electricity for 24 hours or more. Hundreds of residents were also without power for long periods of time across Ripley and Butler counties, and in the Sikeston area. As a result, many people lost perishable food items and frozen foods thawed.

It is with all of this in mind that the Southeast Missouri Food Bank will be providing mobile food pantries in multiple areas throughout the next few days.

A distribution is planned in at 10 a.m. Thursday in Sikeston, at the Southeast Missouri Food Bank location at 600 State Highway H. On Friday, a mobile food bank will be in Miner at the Green Memorial Church located at 113 Clayton Avenue and then a food bank will travel to Crossroads Church in Dexter at 501 South Walnut Street at 1 p.m. Distributions were also held Wednesday in Doniphan.

“The items we will be distributing are primarily going to be shelf-stable items,” explained Donor Relations/Communications Manager Heather Collier. “We realize that a lot of people lost their frozen foods and refrigerated foods. So, our hope is that these food pantries can help offset any food insecurity that may have come along as a result.”

Collier noted the Southeast Missouri Food Bank typically hosts 300-325 mobile food pantries every year, and they try to go to areas with the most demonstrated need.

“Some people might be worried about their limited budget for food after the storms hit,” she explained. “Hopefully, this will help alleviate some of that.”

Collier went on to say anyone who wants to help with the mobile food pantries should contact the locations that will be hosting the food pantries. She also stated that donations to the food bank are always welcome.

Accordingly, the Dexter First Pentecostal Church, located at 1213 N. One Mile Road will host a free community spaghetti dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday. The church will provide regular spaghetti as well as chicken spaghetti. The plan is to serve the food until it’s all gone.

Collier noted that all regularly scheduled food pantries will continue as normal. One of those scheduled food pantries will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the New Life Christian Church, at 301 North Main Street in Poplar Bluff.

“We’re still putting foods together for the mobile pantries, but we are hopeful that we can serve at least 200 families at each mobile food pantry,” Collier explained. “This will hopefully help a lot of people.”