Food Banks

Cans of diced tomatoes lay wrapped in plastic as they’re stored on pallets on racks on Monday, March 11, 2024, at Operation Food Search (OFS) in Overland. OFS is in the middle of renovating its headquarters and warehouse to accommodate more storage at its facilities.

Missouri to begin distributing November SNAP funds

Sarah Kellogg

The Missouri Department of Social Services said that due to the new guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state will begin issuing November SNAP benefits.

Craig Brown, an Urban League Food Pantry volunteer from Normandy, reaches for a bag of frozen strawberries to place in residents’ food boxes on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at the organization’s headquarters in St. Louis’ Fountain Park neighborhood.

Health, Science & Environment

‘We’re in overdrive’: St. Louis food banks step up with SNAP payments stalled

Miya Norfleet

Partial SNAP payments, grassroots efforts are not enough to fill the gap for 42 million Americans awaiting aid.

Cans of food lay wrapped in plastic as they’re stored on pallets on racks on Monday, March 11, 2024, at Operation Food Search (OFS) in Overland. OFS is in the middle of renovating its headquarters and warehouse to accommodate more storage at its facilities.

Government, Politics & Issues

Kehoe announces food aid in response to lack of SNAP benefits for November

Sarah Kellogg

Missouri is transferring over $10 million in funding to feed seniors and $5 million to go to food banks.

Hosea Jackson, community outreach director for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, packs boxes of food with Antoinette Brown, of Normandy, and Kimberly Brasher, of the Walnut Park neighborhood, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at the organization’s headquarters in St. Louis’ Fountain Park neighborhood.

Government, Politics & Issues

How to find SNAP alternatives in the St. Louis region – and how to help

Andrea Y. Henderson

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be paused on Saturday due to the government shutdown. Here is a resource for people to find food during this pause.

Various local food banks, pantries and other agencies that combat food insecurity pick up goods from Operation Food Search in St. Louis on August 9, 2023. Operation Food Search distributes to agencies like this four or five mornings a week.

Economy & Business

St. Louis Fed says more people recently turned to food pantries as SNAP benefit freeze looms

Kavahn Mansouri

A recent forecast from the St. Louis branch of the Federal Reserve reported a "slightly pessimistic” economic outlook.

Health, Science & Environment

Food banks and pantries brace for visitors during SNAP benefit freeze

Sarah Fentem

Employees at food banks said the SNAP freeze could put a strain on their organizations, which have already seen an increase in demand this year.

Ben Stumpf, owner of Rumblin’ Ernie Farm in Columbia, hand-plows a field during the phase of spring sewing.

Economy & Business

Illinois family farmers hoped new federal grant would grow their business. Now it’s cut

Lexi Cortes

The federal funding for farmers has been terminated under President Donald Trump’s administration. Family farmers in the Metro East now face abrupt uncertainty about how to fund plans they made for their growing businesses.

Operation Food Search has completed $10 million in renovations of its facility in Overland, MO., which includes larger warehouses and larger refrigeration units.

Health, Science & Environment

Operation Food Search knows the reality of food insecurity — and is facing it head-on

Miya Norfleet

Operation Food Search has completed $10 million in renovations to its facilities in Overland. The additions improve capacity to meet the needs of over 200,000 people a month.

Cedrick Hill, 62, left, gives a box of donated food to Tony Eiland, 67, both volunteers with City Hope Bible Church in Walnut Park East, as they load items onto a pickup truck on Monday, March 11, 2024, at Operation Food Search (OFS) in Overland. OFS is in the middle of renovating its headquarters and warehouse to accommodate more storage at its facilities.

Economy & Business

Operation Food Search will invest $10 million into its St. Louis County headquarters

Eric Schmid

The investment includes more space to store shelf-stable and perishable food as well as a new teaching kitchen and other programming for members of the regional community.

Jose Alfredo Rosas Luly, 38, works on sorting and packaging peaches on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at Flamm Orchards in Cobden, Ill.

Economy & Business

A USDA program gives food that stores won’t sell a second chance

Peter Medlin

Over 100 billion pounds of food goes to waste every year in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm to Food Bank is trying to cut down on that waste by connecting local farmers and food pantries, but it’s future depends on how much funding is included for the program in the next farm bill.