Summer sun – summer fun! Summer break is a time when kids can relax for a few months and simply enjoy being a kid. While this should be a carefree, fun time for kids, we know that for parents, summer can bring additional stress about rising food costs and lack of access to reliable school meals. At the St. Louis Area Foodbank, our goal is to reduce that stress for everyone, in a convenient, dignified way through a program that has gained both local and national attention – Food on the Move.
Since we launched Food on the Move 5 years ago, we have supported over 64,000 households through almost 1,100 distribution events. What began as a pilot with one small trailer has expanded to 2 trailers, traveling across the bi-state region every week. Since the program started five years ago, Food on the Move has provided over 1.5 million meals to families struggling to put healthy and nutritious food on their tables.
We are thrilled to announce that a THIRD Food on the Move trailer will arrive in the coming months, allowing us to start serving families in new areas across the region. This third trailer will help us launch 12 new Food on the Move distribution sites, bringing our total up to 44 distribution locations across the region every month. With this addition, we expect to distribute well over 1 MILLION pounds of food through our Food on the Move program next year – talk about impact!
Speaking of impact – and national recognition – it’s TIME to talk about an exciting award and feature that aired last month, with all eyes on the St. Louis Area Foodbank – and Food on the Move!
Each year, TIME highlights the 100 most influential people shaping the world today. For the past six years, TIME and P&G have partnered on TIME101, a recognition honoring an individual or organization making a meaningful impact in their community. This year, TIME101 recognized the essential work of Feeding America and selected a Feeding America food bank to feature at the awards gala.
We were honored that P&G and Cascade focused their light on the essential and impactful work that the St. Louis Area Foodbank does as a part of the Feeding America network. This honor recognizes the organizations, as well as the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure food and other household essentials are received by people who need it most. Film crews spent a few days with our team, highlighting this program and its impact. You can view the video in its entirety here:
We are incredibly thankful to be featured as part of the Time 101 Honoree alongside Feeding America. Huge shoutout to our staff and volunteer superstars in the video, who did an amazing job helping us highlight the Foodbank’s critical work!
We know that hunger doesn’t stop over the summer – and neither will we. To learn more about Food on the Move and how you can get involved, please visit: https://stlfoodbank.org/how-we-help/programs-services/
Join us – and learn how you can be a beacon of hope by bringing food and resources to families across the bi-state region. Help us keep families fueled and fed – so everyone can enjoy a hunger-free summer!
