Circle of Concern Food Pantry

Circle Of Concern serves west St. Louis County, a part of the St. Louis metropolitan area known for beautiful homes, corporate headquarters, good schools and a thriving business community. West County is also home to families that struggle every day to make ends meet. Lay-offs, underemployment, illness or injury, age and more - many families in the thick of West County prosperity find themselves urgently in need of assistance. Circle Of Concern can help. We are, first and foremost, a food pantry. In 2014, we fed 25,472 individuals with 41,363 bags of groceries - enough to put a bag on nearly every seat in Busch Stadium. At Circle, feeding families is just the beginning, though. We also offer financial support, scholarships, job mentoring, children's programs and holiday events. All of these efforts work together to to take a little off our clients' financial plates, allowing them to use their limited resources to regain their financial footing. The food pantry is our core service. It is also the gateway to other Circle programs and services; in order to access other programs, families must first receive food from the food pantry. Each month, Circle Of Concern serves approximately 2,000 people with groceries. The quantity of food shared is determined by a client's family size. We share a 7 to 10 day supply of grocery items, including milk, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery items, frozen meats and canned goods. Because items like soap and toilet paper cannot be purchased with food stamps, personal care items and paper products also are included with the groceries. For families with school-age children who receive free or reduced-cost breakfast and/or lunch during the school year, we provide Kid Bags during the summer. These packs include additional child-friendly food to help bridge the grocery gap and ensure these children have enough to eat when school is not in session.