As inflation rises, local and rural Missouri pantries are suffering a hit from within. Pantry shelves are becoming a challenge to fill, and even Harvesters are cutting to once a month.

Richmond United Methodist Pantry and Gap Assistance of Ray County (GAP) program along with the Salvation Army and Harvesters in Ray County both have had their fair share of hardships from COVID-19 to present day.

The pastor of Richmond United Methodist Church, Rev. Dr. Cathy Myers and GAP founder and president Don Lake work together to fill the food pantry and the GAP assistance program with food, hygiene and baby products for the community.

The pastor of New Beginnings Church, Phillip Powers, runs the Salvation Army store and assists with Harvesters - Community Food Network. Multiple non-profit organizations in Ray County have met together to discuss the issues the pantries are facing, said Powers.

Myers and Lake dove feet first into the GAP program and pantry at the church. The pantry offers limited amounts of food per family and the GAP program has a limited number of products and diapers they can give per week.

“We probably have 15 to 20 families a day,” said Lake. The UMC pantry distributes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m.

They receive money from donations, fundraisers and grants. The money goes towards items that are low in stock in the pantry and from there, they shop at various store locations. Whether it be Walmart or Aldi’s, they try to stretch every penny.

Lake said when some people come in, they get to know each other, and ask if they can pray with them. The GAP program officially started in 2012, Lake explained.

“I was standing in line at Walmart behind a young couple who had just recently gone on EBT cards; they were explaining to the cashier, ‘you know we’re not sure how to use these, will you help us?’

“So as their food was coming and they were checking it out, (the cashier) was saying ‘you can’t have this,’ ‘can’t buy that.’ It was diapers and baby lotion; stuff that are expensive items that families in need have to juggle finances with,” Lake said about his experience in 2010 before the GAP program was founded.

In looking to find solutions to the food shortage and evolving economy, Powers said that Harvesters has felt the heat of the issue.

Harvesters went from distributing four times a month to two times a month, now to only being able to provide once a month, Powers said.

“They’re hurting, that makes a trickle- down effect,” he said. He mentioned the Salvation Army food pantry has been “fine” and it is the “mass feeding of Harvesters that is suffering.”

GAP and Harvesters are 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations and offer necessities to Ray County residents.

As upsetting it is to see our pantries and programs take a hit, we as citizens of Ray County always find a way to take care of our community.

Donating to your local community pantries and programs can help a friend or resident in need.