Operation Food Search

The May tornado dramatically increased demand at area food banks as families continue to struggle to recover.

As the government shutdown lingers and SNAP benefits are on hold, grocery prices continue to rise, and local nonprofits are doing their part to help.

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

Operation Food Search is partnering with the City Foundry to collect food for the thousands of St. Louisans who will lose SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown.

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.

Without the data provided in the Household Food and Security Report, OFS leaders say they might miss identifying new food-insecure areas and struggle to secure funding.

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.

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.

A multi-university research team is developing technology that can detect salmonella contamination in a matter of minutes. Researchers aim to take the results from sensors and pair them with other data to strengthen the safety and resilience of the chicken supply.

The state said this week it will not participate in a federal program that would provide $120 in benefits to each eligible child, citing administrative hurdles. The decision sparked anger from Missouri parents, who say that officials "basically just robbed us."