SEMO Food Bank serves 80,000 a month with sudden increase in need

To keep up with increased need, Southeast Missouri Food Bank has upped its holiday mobile food distributions.

SEMO Food Bank will do 36 mobile food distributions this season, with one in November and another in December in each of its 16-counties. Some counties will have more than two mobile food distributions depending on where funding is available, according to Lisa Church, chief advancement officer for SEMO Food Bank.

Church said increased grocery and gas prices have driven some families to the food bank's services.

In the last three months, the SEMO Food Bank has served an average of 80,000 individuals. Before the pandemic, it may have served around 63,000 a month, she said.

"What we're seeing is an increase in families who likely have jobs, but they're having a harder time making ends meet because of the increased costs of everything right now," Church said.

Four mobile food distributions have been scheduled in Cape Girardeau County for November:

• 10 a.m. Saturday at Randles General Baptist Church, 120 N. Henderson St. in Randles
• 1:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at Delta Elementary School, 124 E. McKinley St. in Delta
• 9 a.m. Nov. 20 at New McKendree United Methodist Church-South Campus, 1770 S. Hope St. in Jackson
• 9 a.m. Nov. 20 at New Bethel Missionary Baptist, 1029 S. Benton St. in Cape Girardeau

Each location will serve up to 200 families.

Each family will be allowed one box per household, each with a retail value of about $80. SEMO Food Bank's holiday mobile food distributions have a total retail value of $576,000, according to Church.

Families will receive food needed to make a holiday meal — ham, potatoes, stuffing, green beans, pie and more.

Individuals are only allowed to receive food from mobile distributions in their county of residence and must provide proof of address.

A full schedule of where mobile food pantries will set up shop may be found on SEMO Food Bank's website, www.semofoodbank.org.