Cassville Pantry gratefully announces receipt of a $1,000 grant from the Cassville Community Foundation in care of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

The funds will be used to carry out the food pantry’s mission, “to nourish our neighbors facing hunger with healthy food, hope, and community.”

Cassville Pantry Director Janet Mills said the grant will be to provide food where there is a scarcity in order to improve health and wellness in the community.

‘The Pantry provides sustenance and nourishment to our neighbors facing hunger and food insecurity,’ she said. ‘Sadly 6,000 individuals and children across Barry County are food insecure. A person is considered food insecure when they can’t access the food products and nutrition that they need to live their fullest life and may not know where their next meal will come from. One in 5 children and one in 6 adults in Barry County are facing hunger.”

During recent months Cassville Pantry has been serving an average of 25-35 families with a food box every weekday, four days per week, through their main pantry program. On average, 500550 family food boxes are going out the door each month.

“There is an urgency in the air when our neighbors in need arrive seeking food assistance, and visible relief upon their faces when they exit,” Mills said.

The funding assistance received from the Cassville Community Foundation grant will serve as part of the process that puts food on a family’s table the evening of their pantry visit, instead of them being forced to ration, fast, or just go entirely without food.

Cassville Pantry offers a lifeline to families facing food insecurity. Pantry volunteers are dedicated and commit to assisting with drive through distribution events in all kinds of weather conditions and throughout all seasons. The Pantry team has persevered in service through a particularly rainy spring this year. Pictured are rain drenched pantry volunteers who stood out in the drizzle for 3 hours connecting with visitors during a recent giveaway.

Cassville Pantry is located at 800 W. 10th St. Information about their services is available on their website https://www.cassvillepantry.com/ and Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/cassville.pantry, or by calling the agency at 417-846-7871.