By Sara Wiercinski

With the shrinking and shutdown of the federal government, pricey groceries and general economic uncertainty, it’s no surprise that south Kansas City food pantries are busy.

Two organizations, the Community Assistance Council and Catholic Charities’ Serve & Lift Center, are located just 1.2 miles from each other and provide free food to the public.

“The need is there,” said Community Assistance Council Executive Director Netta Parks-Thompson. “No one should have to choose between buying food or medicine, paying utilities or putting gas in their car.”

According to Parks-Thompson, CAC decided early this fall to allocate its rent and utility assistance budget to feeding people.

“These are unprecedented times,” she said. “What hasn’t changed is food insecurity, along with housing and financial instability.”

CAC’s food pantry serves 16-20 households daily. On November 20 the nonprofit will give away more than 200 Thanksgiving meals with choice of turkey or chicken and side dishes to prepare at home.

Both CAC and Serve & Lift rely on community partners like Harvesters to stock shelves with the most nutrition and variety possible.

Erin Luttrell manages the Serve & Lift Market at 8001 Longview Road.

“We only stock the market with items that we ourselves would want to eat,” she said. “It ensures the mark of quality.”

Missouri residents within the 27 county region of Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph can shop at the Serve & Lift Market every 30 days. Luttrell has built a partnership with KC Food Hub for sourcing local seasonal farm produce, which in mid November includes arugula, mushrooms and a variety of peppers.

This year marks Serve & Lift’s second Thanksgiving holiday at their new headquarters. On November 22, Luttrell and a team of volunteers will give away 500 Thanksgiving meals at a drive-through style event.

Luttrell is a chef by training. “I love helping people identify what they love to eat,” she said.

CAC and Serve & Lift emphasize the need for culturally appropriate foods. Parks-Thompson sources halal meat when possible. Luttrell says many of her clients scoop up the occasional donations of pork feet and skin, along with meat bones for pets.

The greater need

CAC has outgrown its current headquarters at 10901 Blue Ridge Boulevard and will move to a 25,000 square-foot space at Longview Plaza in 2026.

“It’s a blank canvas,” said Parks-Thompson. “We get to build out the space to facilitate our services. And it’s still on the bus line.”

CAC’s new office will include a larger food pantry (“It will look like a grocery store,” said Parks-Thompson), medical clinic and additional office space. Newly added bilingual staff and community health training add to CAC effectiveness.

The nonprofit received $1 million in funding from the State of Missouri in 2024, half of which supports the move. “Part of our state funding requires us to serve more of Jackson County, not just the south,” said Parks-Thompson, who is exploring partnerships to expand resources and offer service referrals to clients.

Looking forward

Both agencies anticipate a continued need for food assistance into the holiday season: Serve & Lift will host another drive-through holiday meal giveaway for 500 families.

CAC will host a Christmas store where clients can shop for new gifts for their families. They will also give out another 150 holiday meal kits.

“Food is truly medicine,” said Parks-Thompson. “We see the need, and can address it, and thereby show the community what we can do.”

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Learn more

Community Assistance Council (CAC)

communityassistancekc.org
10901 Blue Ridge Blvd.

• Food pantry hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am to 2 pm; open until 7 pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.
• Immediate pantry need: meal kits
• How to help: Donate to the kids/teens coat drive collected at Mid-Continent Public Library-Blue Ridge branch through December 5; Donate new items for the Christmas store, with a specific need for teen gifts and men’s clothing; financial support on Giving Tuesday

Catholic Charities Serve & Lift Center

catholiccharities-kcsj.org/market
8001 Longview Rd

• Food pantry hours: Tuesday through Thursday (hours vary) and the first Saturday of the month, 8 am to noon.
• Immediate pantry need: canned meat
• How to help: Host a non-food drive to collect can openers, cookbooks, hygiene supplies, clean carry-on luggage to transport groceries on the bus.