KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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The Hope Market, a Gardner food pantry that has helped thousands, is looking for donations to buy a box truck to meet a growing demand for food assistance.
Over the last year, The Hope Market has seen a 22% increase in customers. Rising costs are affecting many Americans, making basic necessities like food a burden.
Melissa Prins, executive director of The Hope Market, said they are trying to keep up with the new demand.
"Groceries have not come down at all," Prins said. "So families are really struggling to make the choice between paying for rent or paying for their utilities or groceries.”
Right now, if a distribution center calls and offers pallets of food, the pantry does not have the ability to transport such a large quantity, despite trying to serve that level of need.
Gardner neighbor Betty Muench has seen the market try to ease the burden for residents.
"This is a very important part of Gardner," Muench said. "Without it, a lot of little kids would go hungry, and a lot of families would be without.”
Prins hopes the community sees how they’ve helped their neighbors.
“The biggest thing that sets us apart is that we are set up as a grocery store. These families come in, there's no bill at the end of the day,” said Prins.
The Gardner Rotary Club recently gave the pantry a $15,000 challenge grant. The Hope Market must match that amount with donations to reach its goal of purchasing the new truck by summertime.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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