The Food Bank works with more than 145 partner agencies across a 32-county service area to provide food assistance to any person who needs it. These partner agencies include local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior centers and more. Functioning like a distribution center, The Food Bank provides these partners with food at no cost so they can distribute it to their communities.

The role of The Food Bank is often misunderstood, and few realize the scope of its impact. Instead of working as a single entity, The Food Bank uses bulk-purchasing power, community partnerships, and its association with Feeding America to obtain an average of 30 million pounds of food a year. That food is distributed through The Food Bank’s network of partner agencies, reaching as many as 100,000 Missourians on a monthly basis. Last year, the equivalent of 24 million meals were provided by The Food Bank through its partner agencies.

A donation of $25 can help The Food Bank provide at least 100 meals.

Seniors are among the most vulnerable to food insecurity. To help, The Food Bank provides Senior Boxes through a USDA program to eligible people 60 years old and over. The boxes are distributed monthly and give nutritional food needed to supplement a healthy diet.

For all people who experience food insecurity, including seniors, the struggle to afford to eat healthily has an impact on well-being. According to Feeding America, nearly half of all people using food banks report being in “fair” or “poor” health. More than half of them report having unpaid medical bills. Two-thirds say they have had to choose between buying food or paying for medical care or medicine, with 31% facing that choice monthly. Food insecurity is linked to higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension in adults. As a result, food insecurity is also associated with higher health care costs and increased hospitalization rates.

Providing nutritional food to seniors is vital to their health. The Food Bank distributes 2,880 Senior Boxes a month to help.

Veterans are more likely to experience food insecurity. In 2017, 20% of homes fed through Feeding America’s network of food banks included a veteran. To help, The Food Bank created the VIP Veteran Pack Program to provide needed food and supplies to those who served.

VIP Veteran Packs include ready-to-eat entrees, soup, fruit and vegetables in easy-to-open cans, as well as toiletries such as razors, body wash and deodorant. The packs are provided to veterans on a monthly basis and are designed to have the nutrition needed to encourage a healthy diet. As one of The Food Bank’s newest programs, VIP Veteran Packs are distributed in thirteen counties — Adair, Audrain, Benton, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Knox, Marion, Miller, Pettis, Phelps, Saline and Schuyler. The Food Bank is actively working to expand the program.

The VIP Veteran Pack Program has grown to serve 500 veterans on a monthly basis.

Thousands of children rely on free and reduced-price lunches at school, but their food needs often go unmet over the weekend. Studies show children who face food insecurity are more likely to experience health problems, learning difficulties and anxiousness or irritability. The Food Bank’s Children’s Program provide meals and snacks for students to take home at the end of each school week to meet the nutritional gap caused by the weekend.

School Markets are pantries located directly in schools, and they provide food for family-style meals to students in need. School Markets offer students the dignity of choice, and since food insecurity doesn’t happen in a bubble, they support whole-child wellness by providing food for the entire family. Buddy Packs are pre-packaged bags that include a variety of food each week — with items like easy-to-make meals, cereal and peanut butter.

The Food Bank’s Childrens Programs provide food to 7,500 children each week during the academic year. To reach as many students as possible, The Food Bank works with nearly 200 school partners.

Each $1 donated can help provide at least four meals to children and their families through School Markets, and a donation of $270 will help provide Buddy Packs to one student for a full school year.

There are communities that lack food assistance resources, and some partner agencies are not large enough to meet their area’s full demand. That’s why The Food Bank runs its Mobile Pantry Program, using trucks designed to bring food to communities and distribute it directly.

The trucks are equipped with refrigeration units so fresh produce and other nutritional foods can be provided at Mobile Pantries. Because they can be loaded up quickly and require minimal set-up for distribution, Mobile Pantries are often a key part of The Food Bank’s disaster relief efforts. In 2020, The Food Bank held an additional 37 Mobile Pantries to meet the surges in need caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, helping more than 13,000 people.

Last year, The Food Bank served individuals and families nearly 120,000 times through more than 250 mobile pantry events.