America Is Facing its Worst Rate of Hunger In Years – USA TODAY “Food bank leaders from all corners of the country tell USA TODAY their neighborhood pantries are serving more people while using less resources, as economic pressures continue to ravage the budgets of low-income Americans and service providers alike.” – USA Today, November 17, 2023 Read the full article at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/11/17/food-banks-see-worst-rate-of-hunger/71505220007/ You can help make a difference in the lives of people across our region. Donate today (through November 30, 2023) and Amer ..read more

Stay in the know with the St. Louis Area Foodbank’s Tablesetter newsletter! In this edition, President & CEO, Meredith Knopp, discusses “Share the Holidays” and other opportunities to make a difference in the lives of neighbors throughout the upcoming holiday season. The November 2023 Edition of Tablesetter is now available online at: bit.ly/tablesetter-nov23 ..read more

SSM Health Helps Patients Facing Nutritional Insecurity This month, SSM Health will begin stocking its hospitals’ shelves with a different kind of medication: whole grains, canned produce and protein. The Bread Basket Program is a new initiative in partnership with the St. Louis Area Foodbank that will provide two days’ worth of nutritious meals to qualifying patients and their households. Read more at STLToday:  https://bit.ly/SSMBreadBasket ..read more

Ameren announces community challenge grant matching $200,000 in donations to St. Louis Area Foodbank through Thanksgiving weekend Help feed families across Missouri and Illinois by donating today With one in every seven people in the bi-state region facing hunger, the Ameren Thanks for Giving Community Challenge Grant is matching all donations made to the St. Louis Area Foodbank, up to $200,000, to help provide meals for families in Missouri and Illinois. “Hunger and food insecurity are often unseen challenges in our region, and we are fortunate to have the St. Louis Area Foodbank and its n ..read more

Food Insecurity Challenges Rural CommunitiesBenjamin Herrold, Missouri Farmer Today A recent article from Missouri Farmer Today reports on how rural communities are impacted by food and nutritional insecurity. Katie Sorrell of Iowa State University Extension explains, “Rural communities are feeding the world, and they’re hungry.” Access to food, expiring government support programs, inflation, and staggering wages are the main contributors. “We’re seeing a lot of first-time clients at food pantries,” Sorrell says. For more, check out the full article at: https://bit.ly/rural-food-insecurity L ..read more

The Farm Bill:  What It Means for Agriculture, Local Communities and Food SecurityBy Heather Hargrove, Executive Director of Feeding Missouri Contributions by Bill McKelvey and Mary Hendrickson, University of Missouri The Farm Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that affects farmers, the broader agriculture industry and consumers. Key programs of the Farm Bill deal with conservation, support payments for farmers and crop insurance. The largest share of spending — approximately 75% in the most recent Farm Bill — goes to programs that ensure healthy food access for low-income fami ..read more

Food Shouldn’t Be An Impossible Choice!Meredith Knopp Food shouldn’t be an impossible choice – yet for 1 in 9 people in Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois facing hunger – they are making impossible choices far too often.  Do I pay my utility bill – or eat.  Can I buy groceries this week, or do I buy the allergy medicine that my child needs to thrive at school?  Stop for a moment and think, if something happened and you could no longer afford to pay your bills, what would YOU choose to go without?  Food? Electricity? Paying your mortgage? Medicine for you or a loved ..read more

Getting Ready For the New School Year!Meredith Knopp Did anyone else think that summer just flew by this year? I would guess if you asked any school-aged child, they would most likely agree. While the temperatures my still feel like summer, it is time to start thinking about that transition, and looking ahead to hitting the books and so much more.  As we look into this new school year, the St Louis Area Foodbank is continuing to work on ways to reduce the stress and strain on budgets by ensuring that children have the healthy and nutritious foods that they need to thrive ..read more

Expect Great Things Ahead!Meredith Knopp The start of July marks the beginning of a new Fiscal Year here at the St. Louis Area Foodbank! This means putting a “bow” on everything that happened in the past year, like shoring up reports, inventory, and conducting our annual audit – to now “ramping up” for the year that lies ahead – strategic planning discussions, creating our budget and determining what we will prioritize as a team as we look forward. The start of this new fiscal year brings a healthy mix of both optimism and realism. We are excited to announce that the first workday of the new ..read more

Stay in the know with the St. Louis Area Foodbank’s Tablesetter newsletter! In this edition, President & CEO, Meredith Knopp, discusses opportunities to help our neighbors over the summer months. We also discuss the exciting new expansions coming to our Food on the Move program this summer! The July 2023 Edition of Tablesetter is now available online at: bit.ly/tablesetter-july23. The post Tablesetter | July 2023 first appeared on St. Louis Area Foodbank ..read more