Local organization tackles food insecurity in the community

By: Alexis Kuhnert

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- One local business distributes fresh food from local stores to over 1,800 people each week, in an effort to meet the challenges of hunger throughout the community.

Crossing Nutrition Center is stocked with fresh food from Sam's Club, North Belt Walmart, Hy-Vee and Price Chopper. It's then distributed on Wednesday and Friday mornings to the community.

This center has been in the area for seven years and serves as a second site for fresh food distribution in a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank.

There are no qualifying criteria for those who come in. To get in the system, the center only needs registration and to see identification for each individual in a household.

Roger Lenander, executive director of Crossing Outreach, said individuals should receive a barcode to scan after registration. After scanning in, households will get a food box providing them with one to two days' worth of meals each week.

"We redirect to people's homes to help getting fresh food, about one million pounds a year that would go to our landfill," Lenander said.

In 2024, Crossing Outreach served 78,347 individuals with its program. The program can meet the needs of patrons coming in 90% of the time, before it runs completely out of food.

Right now, the program is in need of food coolers, something interested community members can help with by visiting crossing-outreach.org/donate/.