As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact food insecurity nationwide, the Food Bank for Central & Northwest Missouri saw around a 6% increase in people served by their partner agencies toward the end of 2020.
Seth Wolfmeyer, the Food Bank’s communication and marketing manager, said Central Pantry, consistently recorded serving around 2,000 more people per month in the last three months of 2020.
Feeding America released a report in October 2020 projecting an annual food insecurity rate of 15.6%, which is up 4.1% from 2018.
Wolfmeyer said the spike in people receiving food from Central Pantry, the Food Bank’s largest partner agency, is likely the result of prolonged financial stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The longer the pandemic’s gone on, the harder it’s been on savings,” Wolfmeyer said. “Towards the end of last year, there were plenty of federal benefits that were ending and running out that people no longer had access to.”
While the Food Bank didn’t immediately notice a surge in the amount of people served at the start of the pandemic, they have noticed an uptick of people coming to use the Food Bank’s services for the first time from the start.
According to the Food Bank’s website, “Many of our neighbors who never thought they might need assistance have turned to the The Food Bank and our partner agency network for help.”
The Food Bank also has had to operate without their regular volunteer program for most of 2020 as part of their COVID-19 precautions. In replacement, the Food Bank used a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to hire 20 temporary full-time staff, protect volunteers and provide income to people facing unemployment.
The Missouri National Guard was also called in to help with food distribution and operate a drive-thru at Central Pantry that was used for most of 2020. Central Pantry has now shifted back to an inside shopping model with reduced capacity to give people the chance to pick what food they want. A drive-thru option is still available on Tuesdays for those who prefer it.
Kayla Wetzel, MU junior and service chair of the service sorority Little Sisters of the Gold Rose, said the sorority has continued to require their members to help one cause addressing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the sorority would send a group of their members a few times per month to portion and package food at the Food Bank.
Wetzel said they make volunteering at the Food Bank a requirement because they recognize its impact on the community.
“The Food Bank has had an issue in the past with having enough volunteers to stay open and actually reach the members of the community that need the food,” Wetzel said. “We recognize the need, and that without a sorority of 70-plus girls being required to do it, there might be more trouble in reaching the members of the community.”
As of December, Wolfmeyer said the Food Bank is now accepting volunteers.
“We really need volunteers to help us to repackage and prepare food for distribution and also to help us distribute food at Central Pantry,” Wolfmeyer said.
Those wanting to help combat food insecurity in the Columbia area can also donate at their website, sharefoodbringhope.org, or organize a food drive.
Wolfmeyer also said that the easiest way for someone in need to receive food is to contact Central Pantry, as there are no qualifications or requirements to receive food. Anyone affiliated with MU, including students, faculty and staff, can also receive help from Tiger Pantry, which is located on campus.
Edited by _ Sophie Chappell | schappell@themaneater.com _