Food box distributions continue in Selmer despite funding challenges

SELMER, Tenn. — Local food pantries are working hard to battle food insecurity amid the government shut down.

Once a month, cars line up outside Selmer’s city hall, as volunteers work to make sure no one in the community goes hungry. For many of the people they serve, a monthly food box means more than just a meal–it’s a peace of mind.

“Everybody has different seasons in their life where you don’t know what’s going on. We’ve got so many veterans that we can take to. We’ve got shut-ins,” said Selmer Mayor Sherry Inman.

The program started small, feeding around 40 to 50 families during COVID, but now it’s grown to serve more than 300 households. Volunteers tell us they pack and deliver rain or shine all to reach those who can’t make it out on their own.

“We have people that don’t drive, so we just have a few that decide ‘Hey, let me just load the car; let me take it to them that way they don’t have to come out, but they’re definitely getting fed’,” said Mayor Inman.

Janice Baird, director of the local food pantry, tells us the program lost a lot of funding in February of this year, but thanks to the Mid-South Food Bank they were able to resume operations a few months ago every third Monday. Starting at approximately 9 am, residents 55 and up receive a food box.

“With the team that we have, with our aldermen, we both decided to fund it if we didn’t get to continue, you know, it being funded by Mid-South Food Bank, and we understand that funding issues is always an issue, but we’re trying to get back to two times a month,” said Baird.

From packing boxes to home deliveries, it’s clear this team is not just serving food, they’re serving hope.

For more local news, click here.