1.1 Million

NEWPORT, R.I. (June 18, 2024): On May 17th, 2024, The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center marked an incredible and telling milestone. In their 2024 fiscal year, (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) the nonprofit organization provided over 1.1 million meals to over 5,600 people in Newport County, the greatest in the organization’s history. The number reflects the total usage of food in the Center’s Food Pantry, Mobile Food Pantry, sit down meals, grocery deliveries to homebound seniors, to-go lunches, daily breakfast, and more hunger programs.

In January, the MLK Community Center completed a 13-month construction project to expand and renovate the building. A major goal of the project was the expansion of the Food Pantry and food storage to better meet the need for hunger relief. Despite the obstacles that came with the construction, the organization provided 844,097 meals from July, 2022 through June, 2023. The 2024 fiscal year marks a 30% increase in meals distributed. The Food Pantry is now open every weekday and Midday Meals have expanded to Tuesday and Thursday soups with a sit-down lunch on Fridays.

“I’m both astonished and proud to share this news. This is why we renovated the building: so we could offer more support for food-insecure people. But even though we anticipated breaking the million-meal mark, I’m still shocked by the amount of need we see at the MLK,” said Heather Hole Strout, Executive Director.

Hole Strout continued, “The reality is we can’t sustain this without the help of our community. Most people don’t realize that only 45% of our food comes from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. About 30% of our food is donated and we have to buy about 25%. More than half of the food we provide comes from community support. That means every dollar, every box of cereal, every canned good, every bar of soap matters because it changes lives.”

The MLK’s impact this year is a telling sign of how vital hunger relief programs are for residents of Newport County. The growing number of households facing food insecurity is staggering due to high rent costs and costs of living. The summer months are particularly challenging when donations ebb and need rises. To help sustain the food pantry, the MLK Community Center announces the “Freedom from Hunger” Campaign. Donations of food or cash will be matched dollar per pound or dollar per dollar up to $25,000.

To support the MLK Community Center’s hunger programs, donate food at the Loading Dock of the Center, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm, donate online, or visit their website at https://mlkccenter.org/support... to learn more.

To get help from Food Pantry, come to the Center Monday – Friday at 20 Dr. Marcus Wheatland Blvd. in Newport, or reach out to Mia Ceglie at (401) 846-4828 x201 or mceglie@mlkccenter.org.