HATTIESBURG, MS: Governor Phil Bryant declared September as Hunger Awareness Month, a month for Mississippians to take a stand against food insecurity. This September, Extra Table is offering full calendar of ways you can learn more about what hunger looks like in Mississippi. Extra Table’s Hunger Awareness Month calendar highlights opportunities for service and education while demonstrating the importance and impact a donation to Extra Table has on our state where 1 in 5 Mississippians struggle with hunger. The calendar can be downloaded from www.extratable.org.

“Hunger Awareness Month has done a lot to bring this serious— and real — problem to the attention of Mississippians,” states Extra Table founder, chef and author Robert St. John.  “We have also learned that it’s a great opportunity to make people aware of how Extra Table is an effective and efficient way to help to solve the hunger problem.”

MISSION

Extra Table is a non-profit organization based in Hattiesburg, MS. The organization’s mission is to supply healthy food in bulk to Mississippi food pantries and soup kitchens so that our hungry neighbors can have the nutritious, shelf-stable meals they need.

HISTORY

In 2009, St. John received a call from the Edwards Street Fellowship Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Simply put, they had run out of food. Being a 30-year veteran of the restaurant industry, he figured the fastest, easiest way to get food to the pantry would be to call his Sysco sales representative, place an order, and have the truck drop-ship the order at the agency’s doorstep the next day. St. John found that there were organizations throughout the state with the same need and decided to approach Sysco to propose a question: “What if every business and home had an extra table where they could feed those in need? What would that look like?” They loved the idea, and Extra Table was born.

HOW EXTRA TABLE WORKS

STEP 1: Extra Table host fundraisers and collects funds from donors. Donations are coded by zip code so your money stays local and 100% of your donation is spent on food.  EFFECTIVE.

STEP 2: Extra Table purchase new and healthy food in bulk from their partner Sysco. Sysco then delivers and shelves the food so volunteer time can be used wisely.  EFFICIENT.

STEP 3: Food is delivered the last Wednesday of every month. With Extra Table there is no need in storing food from a food drive and rationing it out hoping to have enough for the entire year.  Extra Table has the ability to increase the amount of food distributed during the summer months when kids are home and not receiving school lunches or modifying orders so there are more low sodium soups sent during the cooler months.  CONSTANT.

TODAY

Today, Extra Table works with 32 agencies in 29 counties throughout the state to provide food to those in need. They estimate to have purchased more than 130 tons of food in 2017.  

To learn more about the efficient and effective way Extra Table works to feed our hungry neighbors, visit www.ExtraTable.org or call 601-264-0672. Extra Table is always looking to grow and increase their abilities to feed more people. Supportive donors are needed to insure continued growth, visit www.ExtraTable.org/donate to become a partner in the fight against hunger.

young adult books

Hunger Month Calendar September 2018

food insecurity quiz

CHILDRENS BOOKS