March of the Mayors to benefit Mississippians through Extra Table

• The March of the Mayors is one of the many endeavors Extra Table undertakes throughout the year to supply much-needed healthy food to pantry and soup kitchen partners around the state. 

Extra Table’s mission is to feed healthy food to underserved Mississippians. Money for that mission is raised through donations and through a series of creative fundraising events.

Extra Table is the partnership launched in 2009 by well-known restaurateur Robert St. John launched Extra Table in 2009, to make a difference in the lives of Mississippians by fundraising in order to stock food pantries and soup kitchens across the state with wholesome nutritious food.

One of Extra Table’s premier annual programs is March of the Mayors. Driven by the mayors of more than 58 cities across Mississippi, March of the Mayors is a statewide canned food drive. 

Broken into five regions (The Coast, the Pine Belt, the Jackson Metro area, the Mississippi Delta, and North Mississippi area), each participating city began collecting a particular food item on January 26, and collection runs through February 27. The following week, Extra Table will host five food-box packing parties in five regions of the state during the first week of March.

“March of the Mayors is a fun way to help engage the local community while fighting hunger in our own backyards,” says Extra Table’s Executive Director, Martha Allen Price.  “It’s a canned food drive, a fundraiser, and ‘Mississippi’s Largest Food Box Packing Party’ complete with Moon Pies, Mardi Gras beads, hundreds of volunteers, and a jazzy second line with a mission to feed hungry Mississippians!⁠”

At the end of each regional food box packing party, the food collected and packed is picked up by the local food pantries of each participating city.

Kick Offs Planned Statewide

Due to inclement weather, the original schedule has been adjusted. The first event was for the Jackson Metro area, held yesterday at the Origin Bank in the Eastover District. The Coast kickoff will be held today at 10am at The Lord is My Help Food Pantry in Ocean Springs. Stay tuned for kickoff dates for North Mississippi and the Delta.

By participating in the March of the Mayors, you can rest assured that healthy and beneficial food will go straight to the plates of those who need it most.

“Our mission is to provide our pantries with the healthy food that they desperately need to keep their community fed,” Price says. 

The March of the Mayors is a 4-week-long event driven by donations of specific food items that will benefit Extra Table’s eight partner pantries across the Gulf Coast. Each participating city is collecting one specific item that will be dropped off at different locations, where boxes will be packed with healthy, shelf-stable food for local residents in need.

The March of the Mayors is one of the many endeavors Extra Table undertakes throughout the year to supply much-needed healthy food to pantry and soup kitchen partners around the state. 

How to participate

You can make a difference in many different ways. Donate to the March of the Mayors drive – check the March of the Mayors page on the Extra Table website to find the drop-off location nearest you, as well as the kind of food each drop-off center is collecting. Items range from peanut butter to specific canned foods to dried spaghetti. 

You can also volunteer to help at the packing parties. Or you can donate online. All donations to Extra Table go 100% toward purchasing food. Each dollar can provide one meal for 5.9 hungry Mississippians. 

Learn more by visiting here or calling (601) 264-0672.