Community comes together to help hungry families.

Published
  • The Monroe City Food Pantry, MU Extension in Monroe County and the North East Community Action Corporation’s Monroe County office joined forces to provide food boxes to families in need in Monroe and Shelby counties. Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Ap
    The Monroe City Food Pantry, MU Extension in Monroe County and the North East Community Action Corporation’s Monroe County office joined forces to provide food boxes to families in need in Monroe and Shelby counties. Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Ap
  • The Monroe City Food Pantry, MU Extension in Monroe County and the North East Community Action Corporation’s Monroe County office joined forces to provide food boxes to families in need in Monroe and Shelby counties. Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Ap
    The Monroe City Food Pantry, MU Extension in Monroe County and the North East Community Action Corporation’s Monroe County office joined forces to provide food boxes to families in need in Monroe and Shelby counties. Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Ap

On Nov. 17 cars lined up around the block near the North East Community Action Corp. (NECAC) office in Paris, Mo., filled with families thankful for the assistance they were about to receive.

That assistance was in the form of food boxes. The Monroe City Food Pantry and University of Missouri Extension in Monroe County, with assistance from the Monroe County NECAC office, were able to provide the food boxes for families struggling with food insecurities.

The Monroe City Food Pantry receives boxes that are distributed across Shelby and Monroe counties with multiagency collaboration. Monroe County Extension assembled volunteers through the extension council and the Monroe County NECAC office for this project. Fifty families were served with the last distribution and there are around 900 food boxes distributed across Monroe and Shelby counties.

“NECAC was excited to be invited to partner with the extension office to bring these boxes to Paris,” said Maggie Middleton of NECAC. She said the organization “has seen an increase in food insecurity in households that are just above guidelines and are ineligible for state food programs, and we hope this program, which has no income guidelines, can bring nutritional support to more families in need.”

Sarah Geist, an MU Extension nutrition program associate in Monroe County, spearheaded the project.

By Lacey Shumard. Originally published in the Nov. 26, 2020, issue of the Monroe County Appeal. Used with permission. Copyright 2020 Monroe County Appeal & Ralls County Herald-Enterprise. All Rights Reserved.