The demand for food through the Southeast Missouri Food Bank has more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic overspread the country in March, according to Chief Advancement Officer Lisa Church.
“For example, the Good Neighbor Pantry in Sikeston had 217 families come through in February and 680 in March,” Church said. “That’s an indication of what we’ve seen.”
Official county-by-county distribution numbers for March were not available at press time.
“We had a COVID response mobile in Poplar Bluff on April 1,” Church said. “It was supposed to start at 10 a.m. The police department there advised us to start almost two hours early because of the line of traffic. We distributed 320 boxes — the max the truck would hold — in less than 45 minutes. Not every car got a box.”
In response to increased demand, the food bank has more than tripled the usual number of mobile food pantries offered in the organization’s 16-county region, which includes all counties in the Daily American Republic’s coverage area.
It usually schedules 12 to 15 mobile food distributions each month. In April, 50 have been scheduled.
“It’s referred to among food banks as the perfect storm,” Church said. “The outbreak of COVID-19 is affecting every food bank nationwide, and we’re all needing the same resources. In the past, a tornado or earthquake hits one area, and (other food banks) can help each other out. We’re all in the same boat now.”
Church said layoffs and furloughs occurring because of stay-at-home orders have created a need for different demographics of people.
“A lot of people we’re seeing right now haven’t needed these services before,” Church said. “Going to a mobile pantry is a lot more efficient and more convenient for them to be able to get food.”
Church said that mobile pantries operate as drive-thrus.
“You don’t have to get out of the car,” she said. “You may have to show ID. You won’t have to sign anything, so that (we’re not passing pens back and forth). Volunteers put a box of food in your trunk.”
People who need food assistance should go to only the mobile pantries held in the county where they live and should bring a photo ID and piece of mail that shows proof of residence.
Patrons should visit only one mobile pantry per month and will receive only one box per household.
Each pantry provides 25 to 30 pounds of food staples.
Schools, churches and businesses have partnered with the food bank at distribution sites, where they hand out boxes of food.
Businesses have been giving the food bank a boost by making large donations.
The MFA Charitable Foundation donated $7,500 to the local food bank, and Cargill donated $16,000.
“MFA’s trade area stretches across Missouri and into parts of Iowa, Kansas and Arkansas. Each of the rural communities we serve is affected by the COVID-19 virus and efforts to curb its spread,” Ernie Verslues, president and CEO of MFA Incorporated said in a press release. “This donation is to help address the increased need in those places.”
“People have been really generous, supporting what we’re trying to do,” said Church, who noted providing food to people in need is costly despite the food bank getting good deals from providers.
For instance, the food bank received a truck full of chicken noodle soup recently at a cost of $25,000.
“It’ll probably last a month,” Church said. “We got 36,700 cans. If we put two cans of soup in boxes, that’s 30,000 for the mobile food pantries. That’s why those donor dollars mean so much.”
Obtaining food is becoming more difficult, according to Church.
“Everybody is after shelf-stable food, not only from food banks but grocery stores,” Church said. “It’s taking longer for it to get here and the prices are going up. That’s what keeps us up at night. We have to make sure we have adequate (food) to meet demand. Right now, we can do that.”