The City of St. Louis and area food banks are in dire need of monetary donations from the community to help provide food for families who are in limbo because of the recent pause in federal food assistance.
Mayor Cara Spencer launched the City Food Insecurity Fund to support food banks, which have seen a spike in requests for food and other household essentials from families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
“1 in 5 residents in the City of St. Louis relies on SNAP benefits to make ends meet,” said Spencer in a press release. “These residents have been left in limbo by funding cuts and uncertainty at the federal level, and for those still recovering from the effects of the May 16th Tornado, this adds yet another challenge for many of our residents to contend with as they try to rebuild.”
The United Way of Greater St. Louis will distribute donated funds to the St. Louis Area Foodbank, Operation Food Search, and Integrated Health Network. Donations will be used to assist local food banks, pantries and organizations with emergency food assistance and essential resources.
As of September, nearly 55,000 St. Louis residents in more than 31,000 households receive SNAP benefits. The benefits exceeded $11.5 million in September alone.
“This is an enormous gap to fill and we need all hands on deck to help meet the immediate needs of our residents,” Spencer said.
Since the disruption in SNAP benefits, food banks in the area are in dire need of baby formula, fresh vegetables, eggs and protein; items that are typically purchased at the grocery store with government benefits.
“There's no way that any one or two or 20 organizations could fill all of the gaps, but every little bit helps,” said Meredith Knopp, president and CEO of the St. Louis Area Foodbank.
Knopp said the demand for food is high, and community assistance is the quickest way food banks and pantries can get more food on tables and in refrigerators.
Knopp recently visited one of the Foodbank’s distribution centers and said it typically serves about 70 families; however, the center fed up to 200 families that day.
“The need is real,” Knopp said. “People are looking, and they need emergency help. They need help today.”
