St. Louis: It takes a village to quickly provide for a community during COVID-19. Thanks to the actions of the Community Impact Network and its emergency coronavirus task force, nearly half a million dollars and more than 200,000 meals helped feed the immediate need in North St. Louis County caused by the pandemic.
Community Impact Network assembled a collaboration of individuals, corporate and nonprofit partners to serve the Normandy Schools Collaborative footprint. This task force included Beyond Housing, Equity Homes, Operation Food Search and the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank.
Beyond Housing, a community development organization that works in the Normandy community, coordinated weekly drive-through food distributions from April through July. Operation Food Search (OFS), a non-profit hunger relief organization, leveraged three federal stimulus packages totaling $491,125 to procure and secure food for these free distribution events.
“We are proud to serve the community alongside a group of committed partners including Operation Food Search,” said Community Impact Network’s Managing Director Jaison McCall. “As we all navigate these uncertain times, it is imperative that we rely on experts in their respective fields to do what they do best. Thanks to these amazing partners and thanks to our wonderful community members who we have the honor to serve.”
A total of 203,839 meals—a combination of drive-through distributions and doorstep delivery to seniors—was served from April through July. This included over 87,000 pounds of fresh produce. The St. Louis Area Diaper Bank provided diapers to families with small children, and Equity Homes delivered meals directly to the homes of senior citizens.
“When the pandemic hit earlier this year, the Community Impact Network’s task force quickly joined forces in its efforts to serve the Normandy community,” said Operation Food Search Executive Director Kristen Wild. “We utilized our resources to attain the needed food, and Beyond Housing did an excellent job in coordinating the distribution events.”
Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization that provides food and nutrition education. With a strategic focus aimed at ending childhood hunger, OFS empowers families with a range of programs and services proven to reduce food insecurity and increase access to healthy and affordable food. The agency helps feed more than 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis – one-third of which are children – through a network of 330 community partners in 31 Missouri and Illinois counties.
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