By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Second Harvest Food Bank helps feed people all across Missouri and Kansas, and to help do that it is currently in the middle of its annual fundraising effort.
Chief Development Officer for Second Harvest Michelle Fagerstone says the annual fund drive opened at the end of February at the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art.
"We had a great attendance and we announced that our goal that we're working towards, that we will hopefully conclude at the end of June, is $715,000," Fagerstone tells Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline.
Fagerstone says the goal is determined by what they budget for the entire year
"At the start of January, we were $715,000 shy of what we're going to need to conclude our fiscal year," Fagerstone says.
Fagerstone says a lot of the food bank is funded through grants that they begin writing in January, but it also relies on help from the community.
Fagerstone says Second Harvest really is stretched right now, feeling the effects of higher grocery prices, fuel for its mobile pantry, and repairs as well.
She says she would be lying if she said that Second Harvest was not struggling right now.
"We need everybody to help us as much as they can, and that's why our goal right now is so high," Fagerstone explains. "I can tell you that in the seven years I've been doing this, I've never had an annual fund goal be over $600,000, and this year our annual fund goal is $715,000."
Fagerstone says though she's optimistic the goal will be met, noting the generosity of not just Buchanan County, but also counties covered in northeast Kansas.
Fagerstone says most of the food at the food bank is purchased by Second Harvest.
"We purchase a lot, and that's why we have to have the annual fund campaign," Fagerstone explains. "We purchase about four million dollars' worth of food a year."
She says most people don't realize how much is spent in a year, but between food donations.
"And then what we distrubute through government programs, we still purchase approximately four million dollars' worth of food to distribute throughout the service territory every year," Fagerstone says.
Fagerstone says that each dollar donated to Second Harvest translates into three meals for people.