JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Farmers Care Foundation (MFCF) has announced the opening of applications for its 2027 Drive to Feed Kids Grant program. The grants are designed to provide financial support for local initiatives aimed at decreasing food insecurity and assisting Missouri families facing hunger.
This matching grant program is available to FFA chapters, 4-H clubs, career and technical education (CTE) organizations, and collegiate agriculture-related groups. These organizations can implement hunger-relief projects within their own communities. Historically, grant recipients have established backpack food programs, enhanced community food pantries, arranged meal distribution events, coordinated food drives, and launched other local service projects.
Applications for the 2027 grants are being accepted through October 26, 2026. Individual grant awards range from $250 to $750. Recipients are required to provide a matching contribution, which can be in the form of funds, supplies, or other eligible support. The full details and the online application are available through the foundation.
Ashley McCarty, Executive Director of Missouri Farmers Care Foundation, highlighted the role of the agricultural community in these efforts. "Farmers and ranchers know what it means to provide for others, and Missouri agriculture has a long history of stepping up when our neighbors need help," McCarty stated. She noted that the Drive to Feed Kids combines this spirit of service with the energy of young people and the strength of the agricultural community to create a significant impact for Missouri families.
The Missouri Farmers Care Foundation's Drive to Feed Kids is sustained by the support of numerous Missouri agriculture and business partners. These partners include ADM, Brownfield Ag News, American Family Insurance, Missouri FQHC Rural Health Network, Nutra-Blend, MFA Incorporated, Show-Me America 250, FCS Financial, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, The Poultry Federation, Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation, Smithfield Foods, Missouri Farm Bureau, Martin Rice, Missouri FFA Foundation, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, Hunter’s Moon Run N Gun, Missouri's Electric Cooperatives, PivotBio, Beck’s Hybrids, Missouri 4-H Foundation, Missouri Pork, and Missouri State Fair Foundation.
In the past year, projects funded by these grants provided the equivalent of over 145,000 meals to those in need. Since its inception in 2017, the Missouri Farmers Care Drive to Feed Kids, presented in partnership with ADM and Brownfield Ag News, has facilitated the provision of over 14.5 million meals to Missouri families. The ongoing grant program reinforces this mission by directly investing in local organizations and the young leaders working to address hunger in their respective communities.
