COUNTIES COUNT ON FOOD BANK; MORE THAN 200 AGENCIES DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO NEEDY

SIKESTON -- Trucks brought 4,029 cases of food and other items to the Bootheel Food Bank during one day last week. Along with the 12 cases of diced beef and six cases of chopped pork came 180 cases of Cinnamon Mini Buns cereal, 102 cases of non-dairy creamer and 87 cases of Oreos.

Unfortunately, the Mini Buns usually outnumber the cans of beef on most days.

"We have food on hand all the time, but we don't always have nutritious food," says Dorene Johnson, executive director of the food bank.

"We need canned meat and soup tuna, stew, things that are easy to keep. Our problem is having enough nutritious food."

Housed in the 10,000 square feet of a building donated by Pepsi-Cola, the food bank distributes food to about 200 charitable agencies throughout 16 counties in Southeast Missouri. Among those counties are seven of the state's most impoverished.

The amount of food the organization has dispensed has grown phenomenally since the food bank was organized in 1985 from 10,000 pounds then to 3.5 million pounds last year. An estimated 220,000 people are fed by agencies serviced by the food bank each year.

The non-profit food bank is part of a national food bank network called Second Harvest, which coordinates most of the donations from national manufacturers.

Much of the food comes from such companies as Kraft, Kellogg, Heinz, Nabisco or Procter and Gamble. They receive tax breaks in return.

The food items are edible but not saleable, possibly because of mislabeling or over-production.

"Or they could have overcooked the cornflakes," Johnson says. "But it's good food."

The food bank hires trucks to ship the donated items from manufacturing plants that may be as far away as Nebraska or Minnesota. The shipping costs are defrayed by the 14 cents per pound shared maintenance fees paid by the agencies which eventually will distribute the food to the needy.

Commodities such as the diced beef and chopped pork also are received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but these arrive irregularly. Next month, for instance, the food bank will get only cornmeal from the USDA.

Local businesses also contribute goods to the food bank. Procter and Gamble sends diapers, feminine products and soap, while Malone and Hyde donates miscellaneous food items.

Other Sikeston-based contributors are Burch Foods, Gold Bond Ice Cream, Storey's Marketplace and Aldies Bakery.

The food bank also benefits from the annual Boy Scout food drive. Individuals often drop off groceries at the food bank's door. "One or two cans of food are as appreciated as a truckload," Johnson says.

The food bank usually has 500,000-800,000 pounds of food stored, but a sizable amount of it was not intended for people who are struggling to find enough to eat. Last week's trucks brought in 1,000 cases of Gatorade, for instance. Also in abundance are Sundance juice drinks.

"Any kind of food that is available, we're not going to turn it away," Johnson says.

Trucking companies infrequently donate fresh produce. Pullen Brothers recently brought in a truckload of potatoes.

Sometimes truckers drop off salvaged grocery items to be sorted through by some of the food bank's eight employees.

Employee Allen Hinds programs the food bank's computer, schedules the trucks sometimes with just 24 hours notice and oversees the inventory. Another employee, Delorise Fair, tracks all the food by computer.

Once a month, the organization sends its agencies a report listing the food available. The agencies respond with their orders. Some pick up the food in Sikeston, the food bank delivers to others.

In Cape Girardeau County, 22 agencies share in the food bank's larder. Among them is the American Red Cross, which received 2,200 pounds of food during Steel Cure II, the earthquake preparedness drill held last year.

Others include the Cape Girardeau Council on Aging, Cape County Association for Retarded Children, Easter Seals, the Family Learning Center, the First Assembly of God Food Pantry, Teen Challenge, the Salvation Army, Terrace Gardens, the Jackson Senior Food Pantry and Jackson Senior Center, the Safe House for Women and the Food Life Church Food Pantry in Jackson.