Novus Employees Fight Hunger at STL Foodbank

Novus Employees Fight Hunger at STL Foodbank

On an early Tuesday morning, Novus volunteers partnered with the Crider Health Center to help box food for those in need at the St. Louis Area Foodbank. Novus employees boxed 208 cases of canned and dried foods, which will provide more than 4,245 meals for local families. Several employees mentioned how heartwarming it was for them to know they were able to make such a direct impact to families struggling with hunger.  Crider Health Center is just one of the over 500 agencies the St. Louis Area Foodbank works with to ensure those struggling with hunger receive the food they need. Local agencies are strategically placed in locations where they know there is the highest need.

Frequently, these agencies also serve areas called “food deserts”. The USDA considers a neighborhood a food desert if at least a fifth of the residents live in poverty and a third live more than a mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than 10 miles in rural areas, where residents are more likely to have cars. Food deserts frequently affect low-income individuals because they often do not have reliable transportation to shop outside of their neighborhoods. This leaves them at the mercy of the unhealthy offerings found in convenience stores and fast food outlets within their neighborhoods.