June 7-14, community invited to donate nonperishable food items at weeklong, in-store food drive, benefiting Operation Food Search
CITY SC players participating in donation meet and greet event on Wednesday, June 11 at Schnucks’ Butler Hill store
St. Louis CITY SC is once again teaming up with partner Schnucks to help kick hunger in the St. Louis region with a weeklong, in-store food drive at all Schnucks locations throughout the Metro St. Louis area. Beginning Saturday, June 7 through Saturday, June 14, community members can visit their local Schnucks to donate nonperishable food items. All donations will benefit Operation Food Search (OFS) and support the organization’s mission of reducing food insecurity in our region.
On Wednesday, June 11 from 6-7 p.m. CITY SC and Schnucks will host a special donation event featuring CITY SC players Célio Pompeu, Henry Kessler, and Jake Girdwood-Reich at the Schnucks Butler Hill location (433 Butler Hill Road, St. Louis, MO 63128). Community members can drop off their donations, meet the players and get autographs. At last year’s player donation event and meet and greet, CITY SC fans donated over 600 pounds of food in an hour – the club is looking to beat that figure this year.
“We strive to be an exceptional club and neighbor, and part of that is working with our community partners like Schnucks and Operation Food Search to support people in our community,” said Ken Earley, Director of Community Relations, St. Louis CITY SC. “As we’ve seen with the recent tornado relief efforts, St. Louisans always step up in times of need. We invite our fans, friends and neighbors to join our continuous efforts to help kick hunger in St. Louis and participate in our regional food drive – where each and every donation makes a huge difference in the lives of those in need.”
“At Schnucks, we believe we have an obligation to nourish people’s lives by helping our communities fight food insecurity and hunger,” said Schron Jackson, Director of Community Engagement & Customer Care, Schnucks. “Our biggest partner in this endeavor continues to be Operation Food Search, and we’re once again proud to welcome St. Louis CITY SC to the team. Together, with the help of our generous Schnucks customers, we can make sure those who are hungry receive the food and sustenance they need.”
“We are excited to team up with CITY SC and Schnucks to address hunger in the St. Louis region,” said Kristen Wild, President & CEO, Operation Food Search. “We appreciate their coordinating a community effort to donate much-needed food and supplies, which will help us feed over 200,000 people each month across Missouri and Illinois counties.”
According to OFS, the food insecurity rate in Missouri is estimated to be 12-15%, but is often significantly higher in areas the organization serves. The child food insecurity rate in the Metro St. Louis area is one in six children.
Most-requested items:
- Chicken, light tuna & salmon (canned & pouches)
- Canned chicken soup, chili, stews with meat/beans
- Canned fruit (in natural juices)
- Diced tomatoes, tomato paste, canned spaghetti sauces (low sodium appreciated)
- Canned beans (low sodium appreciated)
- Instant brown rice, whole wheat pasta
- Boxed meal kits
- Canned vegetables
- Dried spices: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, basil
- Deodorant, toothbrushes & toothpaste
- Pop-top canned items especially appreciated
- No glass containers or ramen noodles
For more information, visit www.stlcitysc.com/SchnucksFoodDrive.
About St. Louis CITY SC
St. Louis CITY SC, one of the few majority female-led ownership groups in all of professional sports, is Major League Soccer’s 28th expansion team and plays at Energizer Park, an STLMade 22,500-seat world-class soccer-specific stadium. Energizer Park is part of a new world-class stadium district, which includes a practice facility, team store and team headquarters all within the same 30+ acre urban campus in downtown St. Louis to help further the region’s continued growth and revitalization. St. Louis CITY SC’s vision is to be an exceptional club and neighbor that brings people together through the power of sports.
About Schnucks
Founded in St. Louis in 1939, Schnuck Markets, Inc. is a third and fourth generation, family-owned grocery retailer committed to nourishing people’s lives. Schnucks operates 114 stores, serving customers in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and employs nearly 12,000 teammates. According to Forbes’ 2024 rankings, Schnucks is the 203rd largest privately-owned company in the United States and the 13th largest privately-owned grocer. Schnucks is committed to helping communities thrive, and as a champion for reducing hunger, the company annually donates more than $15 million in food to pantries that help those in need.
About Operation Food Search
Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search is a hunger relief organization that provides food, nutrition education and innovative programs in order to reduce food insecurity and increase equitable access to food. We serve 200,000 people every month through a network of 330 partners in 25 counties in Missouri and Illinois. We use a combination of immediate food assistance and supportive services, while also working on long-term solutions and systemic changes to help solve the problem of hunger. For more information, call (314) 726-5355 or visit www.OperationFoodSearch.org.
