Shoppers perusing the shelves at the St. Teresa Thrift Store on Monday witnessed a lot of money changing hands.

As a way to celebrate World Food Day – a day that recognizes the 1945 founding of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization – nonprofit St. Teresa Ministries dropped a heaping dollop of donations on four local organizations fighting hunger in and around Bowling Green.

“Hunger exists everywhere – and yes, right here in southcentral Kentucky,” said Kelly Wiseman, executive director of St. Teresa Ministries, referencing Warren County’s food insecurity rate of 11.6%.

According to 2021 data from Feeding America, more than 139,000 Kentuckians in the central and western parts of the state grapple with food insecurity – a lack of food necessary for a healthy and active life.

Wiseman said her organization has “definitely seen a trending upwards” in the number of people in the region coming to food pantries for assistance.

“You wish we didn’t have these issues, but we’re blessed that we’re able to do our part to help,” she said.

That help came in the form of almost $90,000 in donations, funds coming directly from proceeds generated at the thrift store.

St. Joseph Catholic Church’s food pantry took home the largest slice, a total of $48,200.

John Riley, pantry president, said St. Joseph’s pantry distributed 143,000 pounds of food in 2022, a value close to $150,000.

He said the pantry provided 2,545 shopping carts full of food last year, but is tracking close to 3,000 carts in 2023.

“The need is rising very quickly,” Riley said, adding that the pantry’s food cost has increased by about 20% over the past few years.

Patricia Cummins, president of Holy Spirit Catholic Church’s food pantry, said it’s seeing about 100 families per week, or about 250 individuals. A large chunk of the pantry’s users are immigrants and refugees from Venezuela, Mexico, El Salvador and Cuba.

She said she’s seen an increase in the number of families coming to the pantry to meet their needs, as well as heard concerns about rising rent and utility costs from pantry visitors.

“I just think the cost of living is going up, food prices have continued to increase and a lot of people are on fixed incomes,” Cummins said. “It just doesn’t stretch.”

Cummins said the $26,600 donation the pantry received from St. Teresa Ministries will help keep the pantry well stocked during the holiday season.

Besides the monetary donation, the two pantries will be splitting eight pallets of food. The variety ranges from sweet peas and ravioli to Cocoa Puffs and tomato soup.

Riley told the crowd of volunteers gathered in the thrift store that St. Joseph’s portion is approximately the amount of food the pantry goes through in a week and a half, putting its efforts into perspective.

Food pantries weren’t the only organizations to benefit on Monday.

MEALS Inc., a nonprofit that has provided hot meals to the people of Bowling Green since 1991, was given a check for $10,000.

MEALS president Bill Oldham said the nonprofit serves around 225 meals each Saturday, about “as many as we can fix.”

“There’s never been a surplus,” Oldham said.

He said the number of folks relying on MEALS has remained pretty consistent, but added that if his team could make 300 meals a week, 300 meals would get eaten.

Oldham said the $10,000 will allow MEALS to go “above and beyond” when preparing its Christmas boxes, which traditionally include a ham, canned goods and other holiday staples.

Another $2,000 was presented to Holy Spirit’s International Outreach Committee, rounding out the total donations to $86,800.

“We’re ready to do it again, and can’t wait to do it more often and be able to share more with the community,” Wiseman said.