To the Editor:

This season of harvest and thanksgiving is marked by a growing disparity between the well fed and the hungry. Volunteer at our Howard County food pantry, or the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri, and you will not witness the “Golden Age of America”. Instead, you will find dedicated but nearly desperate workers stretching resources attempting the near impossible: feeding more of our hungry neighbors with diminishing resources. 

Our Howard County Food Pantry, state-recognized for efficiency and excellent service, routinely provides for 65-80 families. Over half of those served are elderly, 60% or so are eligible for SNAP, with veterans and multi-generational families in line together. Our community is generous, providing assistance through Common Fund donations, individual special contributions ( e.g. Christmas hams),  generous gifts from local banks (November turkeys to all served), and donations of 500-700 pounds of “rescue food” weekly from C&R. But it is not enough.

Across mid-Missouri, a “perfect storm” of marked reductions in state and federal funding combined with growing demand for assistance has the Food Bank nearly treading water. Osage Beach saw a 17.1% increase in households served in October. In early November Fulton served 25% more visitors than in October. Phelps County served 100 more families than usual. The Food Bank spent 157% more for food purchases than this time last year.

Our state and national elected officials are not only failing us, but they do so with flagrant malice and inhumanity. Budget cuts for food assistance serve no political purpose, in no way “provide for the common welfare” and send a “we don’t care” message to the voters. Our president is doing everything he can to restrict SNAP funding and implores  SCOTUS to prevent states from fully funding food relief! His “Make America Hungry Again” campaign rolls on unimpeded by Congress. 

How long will you remain silent?

Lisa Cook

Fayette, MO