Andrew County community members show support among food scarcity issues 

By: Darren Doyle

ANDREW COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) -- With food scarcity on the rise for low-income families amid the effects of the Government shutdown, community pride is beaming as groups in the Andrew County area provide support for their citizens. 

A small building on the outskirts of Savannah serves as a home for a place that receives help from multiple area churches and is often a lifeline for those in need in the Andrew County Community. When the Government began its last shutdown, Pantry Director Earlene Deaton said their services saw 15 new clients sign up in October.

Deaton shared, the increase is a 200% jump from the usual month-to-month sign-ups. Currently, their ministries assist around 162 families, which can equal 454 individuals. 

Deaton said needs, such as certain meats, peanut butter and other items, are important now more than ever. Along with food, the ministries also provide clothes and other household items to Andrew County residents who qualify. 

"(Many don't know Andrew County has a food pantry), maybe that's the flip side of the bad in this snap situation and the government shut down, people have become more aware of our situation," said Deaton. "We have gotten quite a few more donations than from people we have never heard of before, and there are some very, very generous people in the community." 

One act of kindness came from a Savannah business, the Bunker Club. According to Andrew County Ministries, the popular golf bar and club spot on the square became a drop-off point for donations.

Deaton said Kodi Moore, a Bunker Club co-owner, dropped off around 330 pounds of food at the Ministerie's pantry Thursday.

"The community that we do live in, which is a very giving community, has been very obvious the last few months," Deaton shared. "We wouldn't have enough to give out if we didn't have those people and those churches. "

For Moore, a longtime Savannah resident, the Bunker Club is about giving back to the community that's already given so much to them.

"That's always been the drive of the Bunker Club, or the vision. Born and raised in Savannah, that was always kind of our hope to give back to our community," Moore said. "(It's) always been our dream as our wish for our legacy, to leave it better than the way we found it, and just in little ways like this, is just to leave our mark."

The Andrew County Ministries Food Pantry is open from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Mondays, 10:00 a.m. to noon and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 10:00 a.m. to noon on Fridays. 

The pantry can be found at 14375 County Road 367 in Savannah, Missouri, and can be reached at 816-432-8245 for donation opportunities or assistance.