In 2011, The Episcopal Hunger Relief Network served more than 1.2 million meals to the hungry in western Missouri and eastern Kansas -- to the homeless, the unemployed and underemployed, to families and youth, to seniors and veterans. Our goal in our response to hunger is to provide more than a plate/sack of processed/canned food. With people who have a higher than normal incidence of hypertension, diabetes, and other nutrition related disease -- we want to elevate the nutritional value and quality of the food served. We also have a Culinary Cornerstones Training program to help address the primary cause of hunger in our society -- the lack of income from a job.  Help us do this, and establish an example for other hunger relief programs throughout the country. Our goal is high -- but it represents only 5 cents for each meal we served last year.

How You Can Help:

Make a donation today

• An individual donation of $40 or more not only gets you a one year subscription to Martha Stewart Living Magazine.  It also provides more than 45 nutritious meals.
• For any individual donation of $246 or more, we will also gladly provide an official tour of the Kansas City Community Kitchen (for donors in greater Kansas City) plus a dozen of our CC Signature Cupcakes.
• For any individual donation of $1,007 or more, our Culinary Cornerstones Catering group will provide you with a free Thanksgiving Dinner for 10.  (Pick up at our Broadway kitchen, and it's up to you whether you tell your dinner guests that it was made by someone else.)

Create a Fundraising Team of your friends, co-workers, church/synagogue members and others to generate additional donations. There is indeed strength in numbers.  And, for the top five fund-raising teams generating total donations of $1,000 or more, we will provide a cooking class for five by our Culinary Cornerstones Executive Chef at our Broadway Kitchen.

Tell others -- your friends and family, neighbors and co-workers, and others.  Use word-of-mouth, email, and other methods to let people know about this wonderful and easy opportunity to help with hunger and nutrition in our communities.

The Impact: 

With your help, we served more than 1.2 million meals last year and can do even more this year.  To provide just a few examples:

• A gift of $87.00 provides groceries for a family of four for a month.
• A gift of $171.00 helps us increase the fresh produce and other healthy foods we collect through our Food Rescue initiative.
• A gift of $246.00 provides hot nutritious lunches for 150 men, women and children.
• A gift of $450.00 provides home delivered meals for a home-bound senior for a year.
• A gift of $1007.00 covers all operating costs for the Kansas City Community Kitchen for a day (food, kitchen supplies, trained cooks, etc.)
• A gift of $3,150.00 provides a Culinary Training full scholarship to train cooks/chefs to address the primary cause of hunger and homelessness -- lack of an income.

Best of all, reaching and exceeding our goal of $60,000 will help us to provide up to 85,000 additional nutritious meals to the hungry in 2012-2013.  All donations will be used where they can have the greatest impact at the time they are received.