It’s been a good season for the Southeast Missouri Food Bank in Sikeston. They’re expecting to hit nearly 650,000 pounds in donated watermelons this season alone. Mike Smith is the food acquisition and distribution manager at the food bank. He said they couldn’t do it without donations from local farmers.
“There’s a lot more than watermelons,” Smith said. “We do sweet corn, cantaloupes, anything that’s grown like that. We don’t have a lot of manufacturers in the area, so we kind of depend on our farmers.”
Smith said some of the produce donations they receive they barter with manufacturers like Procter & Gamble for more nonperishable items like macaroni and cheese dinners. This system also helps prevent food waste.
The food bank serves 180 locations in the Southeast Missouri area, and one of them is Red Star Baptist Church. Kevin Sexton, a youth minister at the church said this is the second time in a week he’s picked up fresh produce for his church.
“With watermelons, we took six pallets last time we were here and got rid of them in one day,” Sexton said. “We had corn too. It was about 4,800 pounds worth of produce.”
The Southeast Missouri Food Bank feeds nearly 55,000 people a month. Their goal is to continue to bring healthier food options to those in the community.