SEMO Food Bank receives nearly $20,000 grant | Community Spirit

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - The Southeast Missouri Food Bank received a $19,778 Monsanto Fund grant during a presentation at the Osage Community Centre on September 7.

The food bank, which provides food to charitable and disaster relief programs in southeast Missouri, was nominated for the grant by employees at the Matthews Monsanto site.

The funds will be utilized to support the BackPacks for Friday--New Madrid County School program. The program will serve 62 food insecure children in elementary schools in New Madrid County. On Fridays, food insecure children will receive a backpack with ten pounds of food for a family of four. This is done for 36 weeks of a school year. Receiving nutritious food improves development, learning and behavior, all goals of the program.

The most recent US Census shows that 82 percent of food insecure children residing in New Madrid County live at or below the poverty line.

"We believe we were nominated by Matthews Monsanto site because of the child hunger need in the community and the ability for the Southeast Missouri Food Bank to address that need. With a child food insecurity rate at 27.2%, BackPacks for Friday is needed in New Madrid County schools," said Amanda Winschel, Southeast Missouri Food Bank children's programs manager.

"It's exciting to be part of the great work the Southeast Missouri Food Bank is providing to the youth in our local agricultural communities. This organization has been working hard to improve lives in the local communities. The backpack program fills an important gap for these students and their families by providing nutritious food for the weekend," said Robert Cook, Matthews Monsanto site employee.

More than 165 nonprofit hunger relief agencies in 16 counties of southeast Missouri benefit from the Southeast Missouri Food Bank.