KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Some local food banks, pantries and shelters are reporting a lower stock of canned goods than previous years. Fresh produce is up, which is good but it’s the long-lasting items that are in high demand. Rick Dawson runs Heart n Hand Ministries in Belton Missouri and he’s says they are more than short right now.
“It’s down tremendously,” said Dawson. “I’ve seen it get low before when I’ve been here, but I’ve never seen our pantry ever empty and it actually became empty.”
Dawson says his group serves between 22-25 families a week. Last week He wasn’t sure if there was enough food to feed the people who depend on him. Dawson reached out for help, and it worked.
“That’s what it’s going to take, all of us sticking together to feed the community,” said Dawson.
While Heart n Hand is working at a food in, food out pace, larger food banks like Harvesters are also noticing a change on what is being donated. Ellen Feldhausen of Harvesters says the fresh produce that is coming in is much-needed.
“We are getting a lot of fresh produce which is very important to us to be able to distribute,” said Felhausen. “It’s important to our agencies and it’s something that a lot of our clients either don’t have access to or can’t afford.”
Harvesters also reports the need for non perishables is up. Canned vegetables, cereal, and pasta. Look out for the containers around the city for donations.
