September is Hunger Action Month, and local non-profit group SERVE Inc. had a ribbon cutting Thursday to kick off the month of activities.
One aspect of SERVE is its food pantry, which provides food and supplies to those in need of them in Callaway County. While this is an important service for many in the county, SERVE's supplies are running low.
SERVE is running a month-long food drive event called Callaway County Harvest for Hunger. The non-profit is reaching out this month to local businesses and county residents to donate to the food pantry.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony at SERVE, they kicked off Hunger Action Month in a special way. Mayor Lowe Cannell and Western District Commissioner Roger Fischer both gave proclamations declaring September as Hunger Action Month in Fulton and Callaway County, respectively.
Courtney Harrison, executive director of SERVE, spoke at the ribbon cutting as well. She thanked Cannell and Fischer for their proclamations, as well as the community for their support of SERVE.
Harrison said at least 13 percent of Callaway County faces a challenge every day in finding food.
"Food shouldn't be a luxury that only the middle class or the rich can get," Harrison said.
Harrison said SERVE is facing its most difficult challenge to date. Worldwide supply-chain issues have resulted in less food being received, while the demand is higher than ever.
The food pantry has seen a 20 percent decline in donations, and community requests for the food pantry have increased 17 percent from this time last year. To offset the lack of food donations, Harrison said SERVE has purchased more food than it has ever had to before.
The community has donated several kinds of fresh items to the food pantry, Harrison said, such as eggs, produce and meat.
Harrison said Hunger Action Month serves to encourage community support and donations to combat food inequality.
SERVE will provide a calendar Tuesday of Hunger Action Month events, such as a food drive. To have an event added to the calendar, contact SERVE by Sunday.
There are several ways community members can participate in Hunger Action Month, such as donating, collecting food, becoming a location where food donations can be dropped off, hosting a companywide food drive or challenging others to take action against hunger.