AREA CHARITIES RECEIVE TIMELY FOOD DONATION

Three charity organizations in Southeast Missouri that have come to the aid of area flood victims received a timely shipment of food Monday from Feed the Children.

The Oklahoma City-based charitable organization called Red Star Baptist Church and asked if the area needed emergency relief supplies in the wake of the 1995 flood.

Red Star Baptist Youth Minister Deny Marr said the offer from Feed The Children was greatly appreciated.

"They helped us replenish our food pantry, which only had a month's worth of supplies left because of the flood victims we helped," Marr said. "We're grateful."

The food pantry helps needy residents of the Red Star District on the fourth Saturday of each month. The pantry is open from 9 a.m. until noon.

"I'm sure they have had to help plenty of people in Oklahoma City after the bombing there, so it is a nice goodwill gesture," Marr added.

In addition to the Red Star food pantry, the food will be distributed to Salvation Army and FISH, a cooperative Christian Ministry that responds to emergency situations involving food, transportation and medicine.

Some 22,680 pounds of food were dropped off at the Red Star Baptist parking lot. Each organization arrived with trucks to carry their portion of the food back to their headquarters.

Items donated by Feed The Children included bottled water, cookies, oatmeal, cleaning supplies, diapers and baby food formula.