(Missouri News Service – Chrystal Blair) – The recent frigid temperatures in St. Louis have caused a surge in demand for homeless shelters, even as donations decline, creating an urgent call for community assistance.
Loaves and Fishes for St. Louis, a local nonprofit organization, provided 500,000 meals and welcomed over 600 individuals to their shelters in 2024. However, the recent extreme weather has posed challenges for both operations and contributions.
Jackie Macintosh, CEO of Loaves and Fishes, noted that heavy snow and ice have disrupted donation deliveries and contributed to a general drop in contributions. “Individuals have not been able to get out the way that they normally do to deliver the donations or to bring donations in,” Macintosh explained. “Then on top of it, you have the natural disasters with the wildfires in L.A. and other things that are going on in the country that are making people nervous about giving.”…