A food pantry that serves around 6,000 people a month in Branson, Forsyth and Stone County is working to meet a matching grant.
Christian Action Ministries has locations in Branson and Forsyth as well as a mobile food pantry. It needs to raise $11,500 by December 15th, and those funds will be matched dollar for dollar by Ozarks Food Harvest.
Laney Tatro, CAM’s assistant director, said their two locations operate as client choice models.
"They get to come in, and they get a shopping guide based on the number in their household, and they get to make their way through the market, where they get to select and choose each item that they take home, rather than us selecting that for them," Tatro said. "So it puts a lot of dignity back into that choice."
Not only do clients take home groceries, but they can get other household items as well, including diapers.
Christian Action Ministries also offers around 35 mobile grocery distributions each month across Stone and Taney Counties.
Tatro said cuts in federal funding for USDA commodity foods hit them hard and resulted in the loss of a third of their operating budget. They had to close two pantry locations and cut staff. And they’re serving more clients than they did last year. She said they’re seeing a 23% increase over last year in the number of people they serve each month.
"The need is very great, especially in Stone County, but across Taney as well," she said. "Stone County, specifically, is an absolute food desert. And if you've ever been into Stone County, it can take you anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to drive from one side to the other of the county, just because of the way that the roads are created with the lake. And so it makes access to things like food and other basic resources a lot more challenging for our neighbors there."
You can make a donation on their website or by sending it to 2400 State Highway 165, Branson, MO 65616.
