Jade Diaz, a Heber Hunt Elementary second-grader, participates in a shopping cart race Thursday during a carnival for the second-graders at the school as a reward for their service learning project to collect 2,012 food items from their fellow students for the Open Door Food Pantry.  To make the most effective use of the 14-day campaign, which ends Friday, the four second-grade classes each targeted a grade level and spread the word through Power Point presentations that they designed and presented, second-grade teacher Stephanie Holsten said. They also used traditional informational strategies such as in-school print and electronic advertising, she said. The grade level that brings in the most food items will have a school lunch at Liberty Park. A few of the school's staff members have volunteered to take a pie in the face if the goal of 2,012 food items is reached, which at this point seems to be a done deal, said school counselor, Amanda Jackson.

While food pantries across the state are struggling to meet increased demand this year, Sedalia organizations have been able to keep up with the help of consistent community support.

The rising cost of food and high gas prices are causing Sedalia’s Salvation Army to come up short in its food pantry.

The Benton County Food Pantry served about 600 families a month at this time last year.

Sedalia guitarist Bill Gordon will perform at the Open Door Service Center banquet at 6:15 p.m. April 18 at the Family Life Center of the Parkview Christian Church Family Center, 1405 E. 16th St., Sedalia.

The Open Door Service Center will host a banquet to thank all volunteers and donors at 6:15 p.m. Monday at the Family Life Center of Parkview Christian Church, 1405 E. 16th St. People should enter from the 16th Street side.

Open Door service center will host a banquet Monday evening to thank volunteers and donors.

They give their time to help others.

The choice between generic and name-brand vanilla wafers was an easy one for Melissa Johnson’s fourth-grade students.

If your vegetable garden has grown bigger than your stomach, there’s a place that will take your excess.

Sedalia postal workers and members of their auxiliary organization collected more than 13,000 pounds of food from Pettis County postal customers during their annual food drive on Saturday.

The Smithton High School National Honor Society, Junior National Honor Society, Teen Involvement Group and Elementary Student Council conducted a schoolwide food drive Nov. 15-19.

Letter carriers are picking up food donations Saturday along with dropping off the mail.

Letter carriers here collected 14,800 pounds of food to benefit pantries at Open Door and Salvation Army.

Those attending the Missouri State Fair will be able to help fight hunger statewide and reduce their fair admission fee, as well.

Despite the winter weather, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts from Pettis, Benton and Saline counties still plan to participate in Scouting for Food on Saturday.

Letter carriers will be picking up more than mail Saturday.

Last year, Open Door Benevolent Ministries in Sedalia gave out about 2.75 million pounds of food to hungry people from its pantries. Most of that — about 92 percent, according to Open Door executive Director Jack Menges — came from just one place: The Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri.

For the fourth year in a row, Virgil Nunes is looking to do something about hunger in his community.

Boy Scouts from Pettis, Benton and Saline counties hope to make a difference with Scouting for Food. Each year, Scouts from across the country team up to collect nonperishable food items to be donated to local food pantries.