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Warrenton approves $25,000 renewal for Agape as pantry demand rises
Summary
The Warrenton Board of Aldermen voted 5–0 to renew a $25,000 service contract with Agape. Agape director Michelle Berndt told the board pantry visits have risen by about 400 per month this year and outlined mobile pantry, warming-shelter and holiday programs.
The Warrenton Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Nov. 19 to renew a $25,000 annual service contract with Agape, the county food‑assistance nonprofit, continuing the same funding level as the prior year.
Michelle Berndt, executive director of Agape, presented the organization’s latest data and programs. She said pantry visits dipped during the COVID‑19 period because of expanded federal benefits, but visits have climbed since and “we’ve had an increase of 400 per month since the start of this year,” a surge she called “alarming.” Berndt said the increase is driving Agape to expand outreach and logistics to meet need.
Berndt described three programs the board should know about: a mobile food pantry funded by an ARPA grant to reach rural residents and households with transport barriers; the Emergency Weather Response warming‑shelter network (a tri‑county activation when overnight temperatures reach 20°F or below) that Agape coordinates locally at the Mary Lou Community Center; and a new iteration of a food program being relaunched in January in partnership with the St. Louis Area Food Bank under the name “Farms.”
She also reviewed Agape’s seasonal operations: a Thanksgiving meal distribution at the Warren County Fairgrounds (512 families registered), the Share‑A‑Christmas gift program serving about 1,000 children (each child receives a book and each family a board game), and management of the local Salvation Army red‑kettle campaign (Agape retains 85% of funds raised locally as the county extension site).
Board members asked logistical questions about donations and public participation; Berndt said monetary gifts allow Agape to fill gaps that food donations can’t and that online wishlists (Amazon, Target, Walmart) are linked from Agape’s website and Facebook page. After brief questions, Alderman Schultz moved to approve the $25,000 renewal; the roll call vote was 5 yes, 0 no, 1 absent.
Next steps: the contract renewal was approved at the meeting Nov. 19. Agape said the mobile pantry launch is planned for 2025 and the Farms program will begin in January. The board did not attach additional conditions to the renewal at the meeting.
