Harvesters Is Mobilizing the Power of Community to Fight Hunger
Harvesters’ network consists of 760 nonprofit partner agencies feeding neighbors in our 26-county region. But together, we do more than that. We work to address the root cause of hunger so we can feed hungry people today and develop solutions to end hunger tomorrow.
Harvesters by the Numbers
This was a year of many firsts for Harvesters.
New leadership ... a new strategic plan ... and new challenges. Inflation and the elimination of all government pandemic-relief programs have made the need even greater.
Thanks to friends like you, we met these challenges head-on. With your help, we collected and distributed more than 63 million pounds of food and provided over 56 million meals. We expanded our reach in a myriad of areas, notably volunteer visits, Food+ partners and school pantries. Harvesters also found a new location for its Kansas Distribution Center and started renovation.
The driving force behind all of this year’s accomplishments is feeding neighbors experiencing food insecurity and helping them not just survive—but thrive.
We’re working to get healthy, nutritious food to as many neighbors as we can. And we’re glad we have you at our side.
Thank you for working with us to reduce food insecurity, promote neighbor stability and create lasting change. We couldn’t do it without you.
All our best,
Feeding Families
Ilka, known to her family as the “grandma of the world,” lives with her daughter and four of her grandchildren in Topeka, Kansas. She loves to cook holiday meals for her family and recalled her own grandmother’s words when she didn’t have as much food to cook as she would have liked.
“I could hear my grandmother kind of echo, ‘Baby, it’s never about how much food you got, it’s about what you do with it,’” she said.
Thankfully, Ilka had help this holiday season keeping plenty of nutritious, tasty food on the table for her family.
Both Ilka and her daughter work regularly, but she says sometimes their combined income is still not enough. That’s why she’s so grateful to be able to turn to Open Arms.
Your generosity helps families across the region make it through difficult times and keep food on the table. Thank you!
— Ilka
FEEDING CHILDREN
Logan Park doesn’t mind staying after school if it means his students and their families have access to healthy food.
The social worker loads 40-pound cardboard boxes filled with kid-friendly staples such as peanut butter, cereal and pasta into cars lined up in the parking lot of Frontier School of Innovation - Middle, a nonprofit public charter school.
Harvesters expanded its School Pantry Program to more than 60 schools this past year thanks in part to a partnership with SchoolSmartKC, a nonprofit working to eliminate the achievement gap for students in Missouri. SchoolSmartKC provided grants to 30 schools for equipment, supplies and any food not available from Harvesters.
Since the start of the pandemic, Logan says food insecurity at Frontier School has remained consistent, even today.
Because you give, Harvesters can continue to grow the School Pantry Program, helping it reach even more children. Thank you for making this possible!
— Logan
FEEDING OLDER ADULTS
Verlyn Brown is a Vietnam vet who proudly wears symbols of his military service: His hat and T-shirt proclaim his years of Navy service.
Every month, Brown and approximately 100 to 150 fellow senior citizens line up outside Harvesters’ partner agency, Metro Lutheran Ministry, to pick up food from the Commodity Supplement Food Program for low-income seniors. Each box includes canned vegetables, shelf-stable milk, cereal, fruits and juices, protein, pasta, peanut butter, rice, beans and cheese.
A monthly mobile distribution of fresh produce is timed to supplement the nonperishable items, allowing seniors like Brown to make the most of their trip.
Your kindness helps provide nourishing food to senior neighbors like Verlyn to ensure cupboards are never bare.
— Verlyn
NURTURING HEALTH
Shannon Dilks, a mom of three, visits Harvesters every month to pick up food for her family. On one recent trip, she was joined by her 7-year-old daughter, Zailyn, and 5-year-old daughter, Paisley.
“They came with me because they’re so excited,” Shannon said. “We got up at 7:30 am because they couldn’t wait to see what new things we’d get.”
As volunteers loaded food, including plenty of fresh produce, into the family’s trunk, the girls were beside themselves.
They were even thrilled when they received a fresh head of cabbage. Shannon loves watching her kids react this way, and she doesn’t take the experience—or the generosity—for granted.
When you donate to Harvesters, you’re helping improve community health with nutritious, fresh food. Thank you!
— Shannon
