Food insecurity continues to impact families across Missouri and Illinois, with children among those most vulnerable. Operation Food Search, a hunger-relief organization that has served the region for 45 years, is working to address the immediate need for food while also providing families with resources and skills to build healthier lives.
Kristen Wild, president and CEO of Operation Food Search, says food insecurity remains a widespread problem.
“Food insecurity is a real issue. It’s a pervasive issue. It affects every county in our state of Missouri and in the state of Illinois,” Wild said.
According to Wild, overall food insecurity rates are above 12% in both Missouri and Illinois. In the areas served by Operation Food Search, the rate is around 18.4%. Children are especially affected, with one in six children in the organization’s service area at risk of hunger.
Operation Food Search works with hundreds of community partners, including food pantries, shelters, schools and other nonprofit organizations. Through those partnerships, the organization distributes food across 24 counties in Missouri and Illinois.
The organization is also seeking donations of nonperishable foods, including canned meats and vegetables, canned fruit, tuna, turkey, chicken, rice and beans.
But food distribution is only one part of the organization’s work.
Operation Food Search operates several programs designed to help children and families access nutritious food throughout the year. Operation Backpack provides food to students during the school year, while summer and after-school meal programs help fill gaps when children may not have access to school meals.
“We know that child food insecurity increases in the summertime,” said Carlton Adams, chief operating officer of Operation Food Search. “We want to make sure that we plug that gap as well.”
The organization also operates its Metro Market, a mobile grocery store that brings fresh produce, proteins and other nutritious foods to communities with limited access to traditional grocery stores.
Adams describes the program as a mobile farmers market designed to serve areas considered food deserts. The Metro Market offers nutritious foods at below-market prices and accepts SNAP benefits.
Operation Food Search also provides cooking, nutrition and gardening classes. The goal is not only to provide food, but to help families learn how to prepare nutritious meals, shop on a budget and make their food dollars stretch further.
Now, the organization is preparing for Tackle Hunger, one of its largest community food drives of the year.
The initiative brings schools and communities together through a friendly competition to collect food donations. Ellen Reed-Fox, chief development officer for Operation Food Search, said donations collected through the event will help provide food resources to families throughout the region this fall.
“Tackle Hunger is one of Operation Food Search’s largest community food drives of the year, and every donation that is made ends up in the home of somebody who might need a little extra food resources this fall,” Reed-Fox said.
Operation Food Search is encouraging participating school communities and others across the region to get involved. Organizers say even a single food donation can make a difference for a family facing food insecurity.
For those looking to contribute, Operation Food Search recommends sealed, nonperishable items such as canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, tuna, rice and beans.
The organization says those donations, combined with its food distribution, nutrition education and community programs, are helping address both the immediate need for food and the long-term challenges surrounding hunger.
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