Peanut butter drive collects 1,600+ jars for local food pantries

More than 17,400 Monroe County residents often struggle to put food on the table.

That’s 11.3% of the county's population, according to Feeding America (FA), a national hunger relief organization focused on eliminating global food insecurity.

Stepping up to help, Trinity Lutheran Church in Monroe has put the lid on a one-month campaign to collect jars of peanut butter and jelly to help alleviate the growing crisis.

With donations still trickling in, the 350-member congregation collected a total of more than 1,600 jars, crushing initial expectations.

Why peanut butter?

Nutritious, high protein and shelf-stable peanut butter, a fundamental part of the American diet, is becoming increasingly scarce at area food banks and pantries due to the aftermath of COVID-19 supply chain snarls and inflationary pressures.

Just one jar of peanut butter will make 16 sandwiches for a hungry family according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Trinity volunteers will distribute donated jars to area-wide food pantries, according to Alison Beeker, the campaign’s driving force.

She was moved to act after discovering that a local food pantry that goes through an average of 34 jars of peanut butter a month had only two jars on hand to meet the demand. A phone survey of other area pantries found similar shortages.

“It struck me how easy it is to assume that food insecurity doesn’t exist in our county and that there will always be enough food in the pantry to feed our families. We see crowds at area restaurants and assume it’s not a problem,” Beeker said. “I’ve always felt that everyone has the capacity to make a huge difference for someone and that with the help of my church community, here was the opportunity to practice that belief.”

Beeker’s confidence was bolstered by the belief that when the Monroe community sticks together “we can do amazing things.”

Getting the go ahead to launch the campaign from Trinity's pastor, Daniel Potts, went down easy; he’s been a peanut butter connoisseur since childhood.

“God laid the challenge in front of us,” he said.

According to Stephanie Kasprzak, executive director of the Monroe County Opportunity Program (MCOP), access to food is critical for low-income households unable to meet their basic needs. MCOP is the food bank hub with more than 40 pantry partners across the region.

“During COVID-19, there were significant amounts of food being distributed through various community organizations, as well as additional money for food stamps and through school programs," Kasprzak said. “Now that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits have been reduced and the school program supplements are gone and the cost of food is higher, there is more demand on local food banks.

“The supply and demand has not evened out so there is less supply and more demand.”

Kasprzak credits the Trinity peanut butter drive as “community action at its best.”

“It’s wonderful to have community partners like Trinity stepping up to help fight food insecurity in Monroe,” Kasprzak said.

Research shows Americans are nuts over peanut butter, consuming over 700 million pounds annually. You’ll find at least one jar in 94% of homes, according to the Peanut Butter Board (PBB).

Although considered to be a kid’s food – the average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches by the time he or she graduates from high school – adults actually eat more, weighing in at almost 7 pounds apiece each year.

Based on a quick survey of donated jars of jelly, grape is by far Monroe County residents’ favorite sandwich topping with strawberry a distant second, reversing national preferences.

If the choice of creamy versus chunky donations is any indication, the county is back in sync with the rest of the nation with the smooth version winning hands down.

Propelled by this year’s success, Trinity parishioners plan to make the peanut butter crusade an annual April event.

In the interim, donations should be made directly to food banks and pantries.

Beeker’s hope is that present and future generations will spread love as thick as they do peanut butter by calling on their better angels to “make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.”

Those wings have already sprouted in the Beeker household.

She recalls with a hint of pride in her voice when her son Brendan, age 9, first learned of Trinity’s crusade.

“He asked me if he could use his allowance to buy a jar of peanut butter to help others."

Michael Kiefer is a former reporter and columnist for the Kalamazoo Gazette and the Flint Journal. He can be reached at mikekiefer12@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Peanut butter drive collects 1,600+ jars for local food pantries