ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County distributed a $3.5 million second round of CARES Act funding to tackle food security issues — including a $1.9 million grant to Operation Food Search (OFS).
The other distributions were given to HOSCO Shift Inc., the St. Louis County chapter of the NAACP and St. Louis Area Foodbank.
Operation Food Search and St. Louis Area Foodbank also received funding in May, officials said, along with Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Link Market and Potbangerz.
With the latest distribution, announced Nov. 18, St. Louis County has committed $6.5 million to food security programs, county officials said.
"Food is an essential basic need that must be addressed during COVID-19, particularly for low-income communities," OFS Executive Director Kristen Wild said in a statement. "We offer an equitable approach to food distribution and, thanks to this very generous funding by St. Louis County, we can concentrate on answering this growing need."
St. Louis County officials said its partner agencies report that up to 75% of people seeking assistance from a food pantry are doing so for the first time.
Click here for the full story.
