The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri won a $60,000 grant through an online voting challenge.
Walmart hosted the "Fight Hunger Spark Change" contest to give away $3 million to food banks in America. Participating food banks had 21 days to collect the votes to place in the top 50 to win the challenge.
Mike DeSantis works at The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri and said over 162 food banks were eligible for the contest and Columbia's was just one of two Missouri food banks to receive a donation through this contest.
“I don't think there is ever going to be a bank that will have enough," DeSantis said. "There is not enough money in banks, there is not enough food in banks and there is never going to be enough food in banks.
We need to help. We want to help feed hungry people in our 32 counties that we serve and this is going to go a long way to do that." The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri will use $15,000 to distribute between a food pantry in Rolla and another in Salisbury.
The remaining $45,000 will provide general funding for the food bank in Columbia. DeSantis said the food bank can acquire 15 pounds of food per dollar resulting in 675,000 pounds of food.
