- The nonprofit organization started as the brainchild of Hattiesburg restauranteur Robert St. John in 2009.
While many health-and-weight-conscious Mississippians are struggling to push away from the table, others are struggling to find enough food to feed their families. Extra Table is an organization that is working to feed those in need.
It started as the brainchild of Hattiesburg restauranteur Robert St. John in 2009 when he received a phone call from the Edwards Street Fellowship Center in Hattiesburg. Simply put, they had run out of food.
Meeting the needs of Mississippians
With over 30 years’ experience in the restaurant industry, Robert figured the fastest, easiest way to get food to the pantry would be to call his Sysco sales representative, place an order, and have the truck dropship the order to the agency’s doorstep the next day. Robert put together an order and had it shipped to the pantry just in time to make sure that the clients who were depending on Edwards Street to feed their families got the food they so desperately needed.
Afterward, Robert wondered if other agencies throughout Mississippi were having similar problems. He found there were a host of organizations around the state that had the same need and decided to approach Sysco with a question: “What if every business and home had an extra table where they could feed those in need? What would that look like?” Sysco’s leadership loved the idea, and Extra Table was born.
For ten years, Extra Table operated with Sysco as their sole provider of food and delivery mechanism. In the face of COVID-19, the cost of food was skyrocketing, retail size cans were scarce, and pantry shelves statewide were on the verge of being empty. Extra Table had to reevaluate purchasing and distribution methods to maintain a constant supply of healthy food on the road to pantries to meet the increasing requests for food.
In April 2020, for the first time in Extra Table’s history, the organization began purchasing food by the truckload and warehousing it to meet the demand and to maintain their mission. Extra Table now uses CHOW (Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse) as their food broker and close partner to manage all the purchasing, logistics, delivery and warehousing needs so Extra Table can continue getting the best food to the most Mississippians.
Martha Allen serves as the executive director of Extra Table, and for the first few years, she was the organization’s only employee.
Fundraising supports the mission
Administrative funds are raised privately by a separate board of directors and a separate nonprofit, so those who donate to Extra Table will confidently know that 100% of their charitable donation goes to purchasing healthy foods.
“We run on a shoestring budget,” says Martha. “Our needs are not enormous, but the services we provide are critically important to meeting our objective of eliminating hunger in Mississippi.”
Fundraiser events are held throughout the state year-round, from grand-scale events to gatherings in private homes.
“At Extra Table, we have ways for you, your family, church, kids’ school, and business to all get involved,” says Martha. “Whether it be with a monetary donation or setting aside time to attend a volunteer packing day or offering an extra set of hands at an event, we are state-wide and there is a spot for you.”
One of the upcoming events is Empty Bowls, to be held at the Delta Art Alliance in Cleveland October 11. From 11am to 1pm, you can get a delicious bowl of soup from area restaurants in a take-home bowl made by a Delta State University ceramics student or a Delta potter.
Another event is the popular Bourbon Fest, held this year on October 17 at The Reed House at Live Oaks on Highway 49 in Jackson. Over 125 bourbons will be available for tasting along with a can’t miss the cocktail competition featuring Old Soul Bourbon with fantastic cocktails created by some of the area’s favorite bartenders.
In the words of the organization’s founder, “At the end of the day, do I want to be the guy who fed people filet mignon, or do I want to be the guy who fed people canned tuna. Canned tuna wins every time.”
