In one of Mississippi’s most impoverished counties, at least 270 families and 415 individuals each month don’t go hungry.

That’s due to the Lexington Food Pantry.

Since 2021, the Lexington Food Pantry with the aid of the Mississippi Food Network has provided 104,501 meals in the high need Holmes County community, and, of the food provided, 22% has been fresh produce and 24% has been protein.

“Since Holmes County has the third highest poverty rate of all of MFN ‘s 56 counties at over 37%, this area has been a priority for the food bank. Mississippi Food Network is working to meet the needs in Holmes County with various programs, such as supplying the Lexington Food Pantry and serving seniors in other areas of the county,” said Cassandra Mobley, the chief operating officer of the food network..

The Jackson-based Mississippi Food Network, started 40 years ago, is a Feeding America affiliated food bank.  

“The food bank was founded by a group of concerned citizens who were hoping to form a local hub for receiving food donations that could then be distributed to food pantries serving their local communities,” Mobley said. “In the first year, the food bank distributed about 139,000 pounds of food.”

At the end of this fiscal year, June 30, it had  over 28 million pounds of food through its partnership network of over 430 partner organizations, she said.  “That equates to 23,333,000 meals,” she said

“The food bank partners with nonprofit organizations or churches. These community organizations consist of food pantries, shelters, community kitchens as well as child feeding organizations and senior service organizations. The food bank’s child feeding efforts include backpack programs, afterschool meals, school pantries and summer meals. We serve seniors through two senior box programs that are provided to seniors 60 years of age on fixed incomes,” Mobley said.

In 2021, one of the Lexington Food Pantry’s Board members reached out to Mississippi Food Network to explore the possibility of a partnership. As part of that process, prior to becoming a food bank partner, the Lexington Food Pantry Board hosted a mobile distribution, and Mississippi Food Network provided the food. The relationship evolved into a full partnership agreement with the Lexington Food Pantry

Of Mississippi Food Network’s 56 counties, the only one that does not have a food pantry is Carroll County, Mobley said.  But it is still  providing resources to that county as well as other underserved areas, through direct service methods like mobile pantries and produce initiatives.  

One of the most recent initiatives the food bank has introduced is connecting with Mississippi farmers to provide fresh products directly to their local communities. This initiative has allowed the food bank and local farmers a chance to connect but also given farmers the opportunity to provide for their neighbors in need.

Mobley says the future for Mississippi Food Network is more innovation to help those in need. “The Mississippi Food Network continues to expand our efforts to acquire more food as well as ensuring that the food is nutritious as we work in collaboration with other organizations to improve health outcomes for our citizens.”

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mississippi Food Network saw a significant increase in the number and amount of donations, Mobley said.

“In addition to the rates at which people were dying, the media attention placed a spotlight on hunger and food insecurity due to the supply chain issues grocery stores were facing,” she said.  “Big grocery chains and food outlets could not stock their shelves in the same way they were used to, and there certainly was not enough food and grocery products left over to donate to food banks as there was prior to the pandemic. The public took note of this, and contributions to food banks like ours surged.  

“We are not seeing the same levels of giving during this current rise in COVID-19 cases as we saw during the pandemic. This is probably because the current rise in cases is not dominating the news cycle as it did during the pandemic and food supply chain issues are nowhere near where they were during the pandemic. In that regard while donors, individuals, corporations and foundations, continue to give to food banks, the public is not as motivated to give at the levels we saw during the pandemic because, while the need is still here and still growing, the urgency of the need to do something about hunger and food insecurity does not appear to be as great as it was then.”

Mobley says she stays motivated because, “Mississippi has the highest food insecurity rate in the nation. The food bank’s mission is to continue to source food and provide to the over 430 partners we have in our state that serve their communities, like the Lexington Food Pantry.”  

Lexington Mayor Robin McCrory said the Lexington Food Pantry’s mission is “ending hunger, giving hope.”

“Through the Mississippi State Extension Service and Aim for Change startup, Lexington secured grant funding to start our food pantry. You cannot partner unless you get nonprofit status and have a proven track record to handle inventory and distribute food,” McCrory said.  “During the beginning of COVID-19, we distributed food boxes through the USDA Foods. Wwe had to meet the benchmarks through the Mississippi Food Network. “

Asked if there were an increase in assistance needed since COVID-19 cases have recently begun to rise, McCrory said the distribution rate has grown “over 50% in two to three months since the rise of COVID-19. “ 

“We also partner with Extra Table where they distribute to us fresh, healthy and nutritious foods.  Hunter’s Harvest where we have the deer and wild game processed and distributed to the food pantry, and Society of Saint Andrews where food is gleaned through machinery on farm land and fields then picked and sent to the food pantry,” McCrory said.

“The future expansion of Lexington Food Pantry is that we will continue to work with our resources and give out more food boxes.” 

Alexis Kenyatta Ellis is a freelance writer based in Lexington, Miss.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.