OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — There are hundreds of people in the Kansas City area who are struggling to put food on the table. Many have to rely on food pantries like Jewish Family Services to get by.
The pantry deals with about 350 families and sees the need growing.
“It's a real struggle to keep up with that. We're in the process of quadrupling the number of people that we serve here, over the next two years,” said Don Goldman, executive director and CEO of Jewish Family Services.
The organization relies on donations from the community, and their corporate partners like Harvesters and Whole Foods to help keep the shelves stocked for their customers.
One of those clients is Cheryl Frederick who said she has fallen on hard times, and as a veteran, the medical bills have stacked up. She comes to the JFS once a month.
“They've helped me tremendously over the years, and I really appreciate it. The food is very much a need and it stretches very far,” said Frederick.
For the Fill the Fridge food drive, organizers are looking for perishable foods.
“It's something that is really expensive in that our clients would sometimes go without. If you have to choose between buying fresh apples or buying applesauce, applesauce is so much cheaper,” said Jo Hickey, food pantry director for Jewish Family Services.
If you would like to donate, you can go to their website at jfskc.org.
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