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County food pantries brace for increased demand

  • 13 min to read
Carly Shipp, Kayla Wahl and Josephine O’Brien unload donations the Gateway Food Pantry received during its first Doorstep Food Drive.

Carly Shipp, Kayla Wahl and Josephine O’Brien unload donations the Gateway Food Pantry received during its first Doorstep Food Drive.

More than 20,500 Jefferson County households may have to look for other assistance following the federal government shutdown that has interrupted November Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits.

Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled on Oct. 31 that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP. In Providence, R.I., U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell ruled that the government must at least use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits, and in Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service has to pay for SNAP.

Both judges gave the administration until Monday to provide updates about SNAP funding. On Monday, the Trump administration said it would restart SNAP food benefits but would pay just half the amount people normally get, according to various news reports. In addition, the federal government warned that state agencies must recode their eligibility systems to adjust for reduced benefits, causing a delay from a few weeks to several months.

However, on Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that benefits will not be restored until the shutdown ends.

The shutdown began Oct. 1 when Republicans and Democrats could not agree on a bill to fund government services after the federal budget expired on Sept. 30. Republicans control both the U.S. House and Senate, but they are short the 60 Senate votes needed to pass a spending bill to send Trump to sign.

As of Tuesday, the shutdown was tied for the longest shutdown in U.S. history set seven years ago during Trump’s first term.

Until a compromise is reached and a new spending bill is passed, about 42 million Americans who typically receive SNAP benefits are doing without.

The Missouri Department of Social Services reported that in September, 42,863 Jefferson County residents (from 20,500 households) received SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps. The average household received $401.04 in September. Of the 42,863 residents, 17,844 were children, 13,686 were adults 18-59, another 5,828 were older than 60 and 5,505 were disabled.

DSS announced on Oct. 20 that SNAP benefits, which are 100 percent federally funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, would not be issued starting Nov. 1. The agency encouraged affected Missourians to stretch their October balance; review available local food resources, such as food banks and food pantries; and monitor DSS social media channels and the dss.mo.gov website for more information.

A written statement from Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe on Oct. 29 said there is no mechanism for state appropriations to cover the funding of SNAP benefits, but DSS will be ready to issue November benefits as soon as the federal government reopens.

In the same statement, Kehoe announced steps his administration is taking to expedite food assistance, such as directing a $10.6 million fund transfer from the Senior Services Growth and Development Fund to Missouri Area Agencies on Aging, which operate senior centers in the state. This funding will be critical in supporting Missouri’s Area Agencies on Aging in providing meals to seniors, he said.

Additionally, Kehoe has ordered a $5 million distribution to Missouri food banks using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding. He said this action takes the place of a regular appropriation typically issued later in the year but is being issued due to the loss of SNAP benefits. 

Those eligible for SNAP must meet income and resource requirements. Income requirements vary depending on household size, but the resource requirement states a household should not own more than $3,000 in resources, or $4,500 if at least one member of the household is older than 60 or disabled. Resources do not include homes, vehicles, life insurance, burial plots, prepaid burials or any personal property that does not bring in an income.

DSS said a member of a household may not qualify for SNAP if convicted of a felony or any crime related to illegal possession, use or distribution of a controlled substance after Aug. 22, 1996, or is a fleeing felon in violation of a condition of their probation or parole.

Under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, beginning on Nov. 1, able-bodied adults without dependents will be subject to additional work requirements to receive SNAP benefits. According to USDA, able-bodied workers must show proof of working 80 hours a month or face a loss of benefits after three months.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children benefits will still be available in November. Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation is a WIC provider for 2,143 residents in Jefferson County and Franklin County.

Area food pantry representatives said their organizations are prepared for more people seeking food assistance after losing SNAP benefits.

De Soto Food Pantry

Judy Drewes of the De Soto Food Pantry, 705 E. Stone St., said the pantry has seen an increase of 10 families a month for the past two months.

“We served 121 families last month,” she said.

Drewes said the pantry also has been receiving an increase in phone calls requesting information about who it serves. The food pantry serves those who live in the De Soto, Sunrise and Richwoods school districts.

To sign up, call 636-586-7300. Proof of income and proof of address will be required.

Drewes said she doesn’t know what to expect for the pantry’s next distribution, which will be from 9 a.m. to noon, but she is sure they will have enough food.

For information, visit the De Soto Food Pantry on its Facebook page. Distributions are held on the second Saturday of the month, and emergency requests are handled by appointment.

Feed My People

Carrie LaChance, director of operations for Feed My People, said her clients are beginning to feel the burden of not receiving SNAP benefits. Feed My People has two locations, one in south St. Louis County, 171 Kingston Drive, and one in High Ridge, 3295 Ottomeyer Road.

The High Ridge location serves people in the 63025, 63026, 63049, 63051 and 63052 ZIP codes.

The pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. It provides emergency food distribution at any time during open hours.

“We have been calling upon the community to help us with food drives and really just leaning on our supporters and our donors,” LaChance said. “We’ve gotten a lot of great support from the St. Louis Area Foodbank and Operation Food Search. They’re supplying us with barrels to help meet the demands of the food drive. I will say the community has really stepped it up.”

Not only has LaChance noticed an increase in need in the last couple of weeks, but she said there has been a noticeable uptick since 2024, most likely due to rising food prices.

“For the last two weeks, we have been really jam-packed on our schedule, fitting in more appointments,” she said on Oct. 29. “It’s really picked up, but we’re ready for it. We will continue to serve people, regardless (of the shutdown). We’re getting creative on how we’re going to meet that need.”

Feed My People has seen an increase in donations, LaChance said. The pantry always accepts food donations, along with gift cards and toys for Christmas. The pantry also has volunteer opportunities.

“The power of the community is a beautiful thing,” she said. “We’ve noticed a lot more people calling, asking how they can help or where they can donate. It’s really great to see that.”

For information, call the High Ridge pantry at 636-677-9885 or visit feed-my-people.org.

Gateway Food Pantry

The Gateway Food Pantry already was seeing an increase of people seeking food assistance prior to the government shutdown, executive director Patrick McKelvey said.

In October, the Arnold pantry, 2024 Key West Drive, set regular distribution and emergency distribution records.

McKelvey said 274 families received regular distributions on the final two Thursdays of October. The pantry serves its registered clients every Thursday with those whose last names start with A through L and those whose start with M through Z alternating each week.

Gateway also provided 111 emergency food distribution in October, eclipsing its previous record of 80 set in September, McKelvey said.

“When counting emergency and regular distribution families individually, we served over 400 families in the same month for the first time ever,” he said.

McKelvey said the pantry is bracing for even more people seeking food assistance, and he doesn’t believe the organization will be able to meet the increased demand.

“We are not prepared for this to go on for more than a few weeks,” he said. “Just because there isn’t funding on Nov. 1, it doesn’t mean those people don’t need to eat. They are going to end up at their local food pantry. We have invested $15,000 to supplement our reserves to make sure that we are as prepared as we can be.”

McKelvey said the pantry also will provide more food in its emergency distribution boxes.

“The hope is people who come in for an emergency food box because SNAP is cut off, get their SNAP benefits no later than Nov. 10,” he said. “I don’t know what happens if it is not turned back on by then. Our organization has been around since 1984, and this is as bad as it has ever been.”

Gateway already took an unprecedented step in its history to gather food by holding its first Doorstep Food Drive in September. McKelvey said the door-to-door food drive netted more than 19,000 pounds of food.

While the Doorstep Food Drive was a success, McKelvey said he feared it was held too early and may discourage people from giving more. Fortunately, he said, that has not been the case, and he expects to see donations continue to increase as they typically do during holiday seasons.

“Our doorbell has not stopped ringing for people coming in for food, but our doorbell also has not stopped ringing because so many people from our community are coming to donate food,” he said. “I feel we have put the word out that we needed help, and I feel like people in our community have responded. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of people in our community who are willing to give that extra $5 or $10 to donate food.”

The pantry, originally called the Arnold Food Pantry, changed its name in June 2024. It offers food assistance to residents of the Fox C-6 and Windsor C-1 school districts and those who live in the 63127 and 63128 ZIP codes in south St. Louis County.

Those seeking assistance or wanting to donate may visit gatewayfoodpantry.org or call 636-287-3663. Gateway Food Pantry is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 8-10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Hillsboro Food Pantry

Mary Johnson, who works in the office of the Hillsboro Food Pantry, 10399 Business 21, said more than 250 families are signed up to use the pantry, and the number has been increasing every day since the government shutdown began.

“We’ve been going to the fourth page of our appointment (book), and we’ve never had to do that before,” she said.

Johnson said on Oct. 29 that she had five new families register for the pantry and some of those registered were government employees.

Since 1987, the Hillsboro Food Pantry has served residents in need who live in the Hillsboro R-3 and Grandview R-2 school districts.

Johnson said the pantry distributes enough produce to families to last a week and a maximum of 10 canned food items. Families with seven or more members may receive more food.

She said she is cautiously optimistic about increased donations during the holiday season and expects the pantry to have enough food for everyone who needs it.

Johnson said the pantry takes cash or food donations, which can be mailed to P.O. Box 168 in Hillsboro or may be dropped off at the pantry during business hours. The pantry is most in need of soup, rice, canned potatoes and cereal, as well as toiletries, like bar soap, toothpaste and deodorant.

The Hillsboro Food Pantry’s distribution times are by appointment beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursdays. Appointments may be scheduled by phone Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Collection hours are Monday through Wednesday 7 a.m. to noon; Thursdays 7 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

For information, call 636-789-5920 or visit hillsborofoodpantry.com.

Ozark Food Pantry

Ozark Food Pantry, 1 Sunset Park, in Festus saw the number of people requesting food jump even before the SNAP benefits halted due to the federal government shutdown, said Carmelita Davidson, the pantry’s executive director.

“Last week, we probably increased by 25 people. We normally do 75 to 100 people a week,” she said Oct. 29.

She said she feels the pantry is well-positioned to continue helping those in need during the government shutdown.

“If the government shutdown persists, I think we’ll be OK,” Davidson said. “We receive food from the St. Louis Area Foodbank and St. Louis Operation Food Search.

“Right now, the community is helping. Organizations are doing food drives for me.”

Davidson said she also expects an uptick in donations to the pantry during the upcoming holiday season.

Ozark Food Pantry’s distributions are held from 11 a.m. to noon on Fridays for licensed caregivers only and 8:30-10:45 a.m. on Saturdays for general food distributions. The pantry also provides emergency food distributions.

Davidson said Ozark Food Pantry gives food to anyone who asks, although those receiving the food need to register.

“I do not have any requirements other than telling us the number of people in the household to know how much to give them,” she said. “Anybody that knocks on the door, we don’t send away. We put clients on a two-week schedule.”

For information, call 636-933-9974 or visit ozarkfoodpantry.org.

Peace Pantry

Andie Williams, director of operations at Peace Pantry in Cedar Hill, said the food pantry already has seen an increase in the number of people who come in for food distribution and an uptick in calls asking for emergency assistance since the government shutdown began.

The pantry, 8100 S. Industrial Drive, offers regular food distributions to Jefferson County residents from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Thursdays.

“SNAP benefits really helped a lot of the households in our community make ends meet, so the potential of them not being continued, I think, is a difficult reality, especially as we head into the holiday season,” Williams said. “We typically see an influx of people in November and December, but especially right now, we’re seeing a lot more people and we’re finding it harder to keep some pantry staples on our shelves.”

Pantry staples such as cereal, peanut butter, jelly, eggs and dairy products are becoming more expensive at the grocery store, Williams said, so the pantry is receiving less of those donations.

Williams said on Oct. 29 that within the last week or so, she’s noticed more people calling or stopping by to ask how they can help.

“We’re going to try our best and make sure that everybody gets some sort of help,” she said. “Right now, we’re in the middle of organizing a lot of food drives in our local community to meet that need.”

Williams said Peace Pantry does not have immediate plans to limit the amount of food offered to people in need or limit the number of people it serves due to the government shutdown.

“We would hope not, but it’s a reality we’re facing,” she said. “I think if it continues, we’re going to see more clients, and hopefully, there will be more folks who are willing to help out and donate more food. It’ll be hard to keep up with this demand for a long period of time, so we will have to see how we can get creative and make sure that we’ve got food for everyone.”

For information, call the pantry at 636-285-0934 or email info@peacepantry.org.

Salvation Army of Jefferson County

The Salvation Army of Jefferson County’s food pantry is set to reopen this month after being closed for nearly a year following a November 2024 fire.

The Salvation Army, 3740 Telegraph Road, just outside the Arnold city limits will reopen its pantry on Wednesday, Nov. 12, Director Larry Hostetler said. The organization distributes food from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays.

The Salvation Army did hold drive-thru food distributions after the fire.

Hostetler said the organization is expecting more people than usual seeking food assistance when the pantry reopens.

“We have already seen people affected by the government shutdown,” he said. “Many of the people we see, SNAP is a significant part of their monthly income. Where do they go? What do they do?

“They come to us, and we want them to come to us. I hope everyone who comes through our doors gets some help and hope. They may not get everything they need, but I hope they leave with some hope.”

Hostetler said the Salvation Army already adjusted how much financial aid it may provide people, such as help paying utility bills, adding that the organization may have to cut back more on that assistance in order to provide relief for more people.

“We no longer can pay off an entire bill,” he said. “Our fear is we have to cut back more or we say we can’t do this.”

Hostetler also said the Salvation Army anticipates getting more resources to assist people since donations typically increase during the holiday season. In addition, the organization typically receives a large donation of nonperishable food items following the annual Scouting For Food campaign that will be held from Nov. 15-22.

“We get almost half our annual donations in November and December,” he said.

Those seeking assistance or wanting to donate may visit centralusa.salvationarmy.org or call 636-464-0787.

Help available

The following are some of the Jefferson County food pantries that offer food assistance. For a complete list, visit the Jefferson County Health Department’s website, jeffcohealth.org

Connect Church

De Soto Food Pantry

  • Location: 705 E. Stone St., De Soto
  • Distribution times: 9 a.m. to noon second Saturday each month
  • Contact: Call 636-586-7300
  • Website: facebook.com/DeSotoFoodPantry

Emmanual Baptist Church

  • Location: 13270 Hwy. CC, De Soto
  • Distribution times: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays
  • Contact: Call 636-586-6300
  • Website: emmanuelbaptistchurchdesoto.org

Faith Community Church Community Marketplace Food Pantry

Feed My People

  • Location: 3295 Ottomeyer Road, High Ridge
  • Distribution times: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays
  • Contact: Call 636-677-9885
  • Website: feed-my-people.org

First Baptist Church of Festus

  • Location: 107 N. Truman Blvd., Crystal City
  • Distribution times: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays
  • Contact: Call 636-937-3668, email firstbaptist@fbcfcc.org
  • Website: fbcfcc.org

First Christian Church Disciples of Christ

  • Location: 415 N. Mill St., Festus
  • Distribution times: 9-11:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays
  • Contact: 636-937-3416

First United Methodist Church

  • Location: 113 Grand Ave., Festus
  • Distribution times: 8:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays
  • Contact: Call 636-937-6205
  • Website: festusumc.org

Food on the Move Festus (Buren Chapel AME Church)

  • Location: 321 S. Adams St., Festus
  • Distribution times: Noon to 1 p.m. first Friday each month
  • Contact: Call 314-292-6262
  • Website: stlfoodbank.org

Food On The Move Morse Mill Baptist Church

  • Location: 6955 Hwy. B, Dittmer
  • Distribution times: 9:30-10:30 a.m. third Thursday each month
  • Contact: Call 314-292-6262, email office@mmbc.net
  • Website: mmbc.net

Gateway Food Pantry

  • Location: 2024 Key West Drive, Arnold
  • Distribution times: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays, weekly distributions; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8-11 a.m. Sundays, emergency distributions
  • Contact: Call 636-287-3663, email information@gatewayfoodpantry.org
  • Website: gatewayfoodpantry.org

Gracelife Chapel - De Soto

Gracelife Chapel - Pevely

High Ridge Food Pantry

  • Location: 3009 High Ridge Blvd.
  • Distribution times: 3:30-5 p.m. Thursdays
  • Contact: Call 636-677-4868

Hillsboro Food Pantry

Jefferson County Rescue Mission

Living Faith Food Pantry

  • Location: 2170 Buck Creek Road, Festus
  • Distribution times: 9 a.m. to noon second Thursday each month
  • Contact: Call 314-805-4322
  • Website: livingfaithministries.net

Mount Olive Methodist Church

Peace Pantry

  • Location: 8100 S. Industrial Drive, Cedar Hill
  • Distribution times: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays; 8:30-11:30 a.m. Thursdays
  • Contact: Call 636-285-0934; email info@peacepantry.org
  • Website: peacepantry.org

Radiant Life

  • Location: 11533 Gamel Cemetery Road, Festus
  • Distribution times: 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesdays by appointment only
  • Contact: Call 636-937-0800
  • Website: radiantlifechurch.me

Redemption Church

Salvation Army of Jefferson County

Sister Christine’s Food Pantry (St. Joseph Catholic Church)

  • Location: 6020 Old Antonia Road, Imperial
  • Distribution times: 8-10 a.m. Thursdays, 8-10 a.m. Saturdays, by appointment only
  • Contact: Call 636-464-7580
  • Website: sjiparish.org
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