Demand for Christian County food pantry continues to climb

Christian County nonprofit Least of These Inc. reported a new record for demand.

The Ozark-based nonprofit served 1,307 families in June, said Jacqué Breedlove-Harness, director of community relations, via email. That's the largest monthly figure to date, according to a news release.

“We are experiencing a 37% increase in the number of individuals we are serving over last year,” Executive Director Kristy Carter said in the release. “We have a (month and a half's) supply of food on hand and have had to dip into our reserved funding to purchase food."

Least of These in 2022 served around 36,000 people, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. That's up from around 28,000 people in 2021.

During the first half of 2023, Least of These has served nearly 22,000 individuals, officials say.

"We need community support to continue feeding people and changing lives," said Michele Pierce, director of client services, in the release. "We are seeing record number of families who are experiencing food insecurity and seeking help for the first time in their lives.”

Carter previously told SBJ that area families are experiencing a "snowballing" effect due to higher food costs amid historic inflation.