Stories of Hunger

As part of the region’s disaster relief team, Southeast Missouri Food Bank is always at the ready. After an EF3 tornado struck Fredericktown, Mo., damaging homes and business and leaving residents without power, the food bank began preparations for an emergency mobile food distribution.

On Oct. 27, three days after the tornado, the food bank served 191 families in Madison County.

Linda was the first in line for the distribution. She recalled riding out the storm with her son Eddie, who is suffers from Asperger’s syndrome.  

“We both laid down in the living room floor and made some pillars to stay close to us,” Linda said. “It sounded like it was a loud roar.”

She considers herself lucky because her home suffered little damage. But, Linda said, she did lose some food from the power outage that followed the storm. She came to the emergency distribution to replenish her groceries.

“[Volunteers] may think they are just putting out a lot of work for nothing, but this food will help us tremendously,” Linda said. “The Lord will bless them.”

Donald and his grandmother Connie also came to the distribution. Donald, who used to live in Louisiana, and had gone through hurricanes Katrina and Rita, so he was ready when the tornado hit, seeking shelter in a friend’s basement.

Connie said she was grateful the food bank showed up when it did.

“We really appreciate this because, I had just bought a lot of fresh meat and things the day before and now it’s spoiled,” she said.

Donald and Connie also lost power for two days, and the timing couldn’t have been worse: Connie had just stocked the deep freeze, freezer and fridge the day before the storm.

But all in all, both Donald and Connie were thankful for the food giving out in their time of need.

“I’d like to say thank you because we’ve relied on food banks due our economic situation and it’s hard to pull ourselves out it especially right now,” Donald said.