Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – With schools out for summer, many children go without food as they lose access to regular daily school lunches and breakfasts. These meals typically provide at least one-third of the nutrients that a child needs during the school year. Because families cannot meet this need, hundreds of families seek help each month. The Stoddard County Gospel Mission tries to fill this gap and provide nourishment for adequate mental and physical health and growth.
This morning, the Stoddard County Gospel Mission was pleasantly surprised when SEMO Electric Coop trucks and other vehicles pulled up to their doors.
The Elders of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Dexter organized this summer snack drive for the children of our community and with the help of Sean Vanslyke, CEO of SEMO Electric Coop and several employees, they delivered and unloaded bag after bag.
Several Elders of the church were on hand helping including Mark Stidham, City of Dexter Administrator, Debbie Stidham, Kim Williams, Debbie Ellinghouse and Bill Boesin. Also present was City of Dexter’s Police Chief Sammy Stone supervising the transportation of goods across city streets!! Thanks to all who helped make this possible from donation to delivery!
The entire congregation of the Disciples of Christ Church donated money and snack type foods and filled the 350 white paper sacks with delicious goodies.
Ron Montgomery, President of the Board of Directors for the Stoddard County Gospel Mission was also on hand to help carry the bags into the warehouse. He is also the Purchasing Manager for SEMO Electric Coop.
Children under 17 will appreciate these summertime treats. Goodies included pudding, fruit cups, oatmeal packs, krispie treats, applesauce, pop-tarts, canned pasta, ramen, nutri-grain bars, peanut butter crackers, cheese crackers, cookies, and other delightful snacks. “I have to start calling families as soon as possible to get them scheduled to come in. We had over 400 children in the month of June who required our assistance,” stated Marty Starnes, Food Pantry Manager.
Students often have both parents working outside of the home during the summer months, leaving older siblings to cook for younger ones. These snacks will be easy to open and require little to no preparation.
Kim Slavings, SCGM Director smiled and said, “I am so grateful and I want to thank everyone who made this happen, especially the people at the First Christian Church. They are so generous!”
Kim continued, “We see so many each month needing assistance and with school out, children are not getting their normal lunchtime meals.”YOUcan help these families and their children by donating non-perishable foods such as can goods, canned vegetables, box drinks, dry goods, crackers, peanut butter, can tuna, and fruit snacks.
Hunger is a problem right here in our very own community. Please help a fellow neighbor and donate to those who are suffering. Start a food drive in your neighborhood, at work, at school or church. The rewards are unlimited!
The Stoddard County Gospel Mission is located at 207 N. One Mile Road in Dexter with the Food Bank open Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Please call 624-8979 to schedule a time to receive food.
