Some 71,000 meals worth of donated food collected, distributed across Mississippi

From Extra Table

JACKSON, Miss. (WDAM) – The “March of the Mayors” annual food drive once again helped fill depleted cupboards in pantries across Mississippi.

At least, for a time.

The “March of the Mayors” is a state-wide, canned-food drive, led by the mayors of cities across Mississippi to collect items to support their local pantries.

Each city collected a particular food item between Jan. 21 and Feb. 21.

This year, more than 42 1/2 tons of shelf-stable foodstuffs like peanut butter, canned tuna, fruit and vegetables, soup, pasta, rice and beans were processed during huge packing parties at five collection spots across the state.

Working under the the Extra Table banner, regional sponsors and hundreds of volunteers hosted “Mississippi’s Largest Food Box Packing Parties” in areas across the state, including:

• The Delta
• Northeast Mississippi
• The Jackson Metro Area,
• The Pine Belt
• The Gulf Coast.

The result?: 8,512 food boxes packed and distributed in total

Each box weighed about 10 pounds, and according to Feeding America, a “meal” is 1.2 pounds of food.

With that in mind, 85,120 pounds of food made for a grand total of 71,008 meals distributed to 55 food pantries across the state.

Number of food boxes packed by region:

• The Delta: 1,260
• Northeast Miss: 1,152
• The Jackson Metro Area: 1,440
• The Pine Belt: 2,160
• The Gulf Coast: 2,500.

Each region was represented by a sponsor, including:

• The Coast – HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Division
• The Pine Belt – Spire
• The Jackson Metro Area – Origin Bank
• The Mississippi Delta – Verizon
• The Northeast Mississippi area – Atmos Energy.

“We are honored that 50-plus mayors across the state fed their neighbors through ‘March of the Mayors,’” Extra Table Executive Director Martha Allen Price said. “We are honored that 50-plus mayors across the state fed their neighbors through ‘March of the Mayors.’

“Mississippi is one of the hungriest states in the nation with more than 550,000 food-insecure citizens. At Extra Table, we know the true impact this month-long food drive has on so many Mississippians, as it provides additional food to their tables.”

For more information on “March of the Mayors,” visit: extratable.org/march

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