ST. LOUIS – In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Urban League and the St. Louis Area Foodbank gave out food at a special event.
“This, so that we can live the type of dream that Dr. King would have wanted us with helping our neighbors in need,” said Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League.
From fresh vegetables to the ever-in-demand eggs, St. Louis residents could get canned goods, meat, dairy, as well as personal masks, toiletries, and household cleaning supplies.
“It means a whole lot to me,” Zane Porter said. “A whole lot, because I’ve got a big family to feed, and I make sure I come down here so that I can take care of them.”
Some 2,500 families received approximately $200,000 (worth of)items to help in the fight against hunger and poverty.
“Right now with inflation affecting all of us, we’re seeing a 23% increase in people seeking assistance from a pre-COVID world,” said Meredith Knopp, president and CEO St. Louis Area Foodbank. “People are struggling and working full-time, and their budgets just aren’t working. Events like this are game-changing.”
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said both organizations are a beacon and their ability to bring additional partners and resources together is a boon for the community.
Partners like the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. State Celebration Commission, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which donated a tractor-trailer of food for the event.
“Celebration and freedom, and everybody getting along together, finally,” Porter said.