On most weekday afternoons, you’ll see Platte County prosecutors in several of the five courtrooms of the historic county courthouse in Platte City. On April 5, you would have seen them boxing up food at Harvesters in downtown Kansas City.
Prosecutors and staff spent the afternoon at the community food bank that serves 26 counties surrounding Kansas City, including Platte. Their work was part of the office’s We Care program, which Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd started in 2022.
“People tend to view Platte County as relatively affluent, but it’s also true that more than eight percent of our population lives below the poverty line,” Zahnd sad. “Harvesters provides food for children and families in need, and we loved being a small part of making that happen for one day.”
While at Harvesters, the prosecution team sorted and repacked thousands of apples for a few hours. The apples and tons of other food feed more than 226,000 people each month.
In fiscal year 2023, Harvesters distributed more than 1.8 million pounds of food to partners in Platte County alone, working to feed families, children, and seniors. Nearly 10,000 people or 9.2% of the Platte County populace is at risk for hunger. That number includes more than 2,000 children.
Harvesters distributes food to more than 30 agency partners in Platte County, including 15 schools with its BackSnack weekend feeding program for children and a food distribution held at the Platte County Health Department on the second Thursday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
‘We’re grateful to the attorneys and staff from the Platte County Prosecutor’s office for volunteering at Harvesters and supporting our efforts to feed families throughout our 26-county service area, including Platte County,” said Stephen Davis, Harvesters’ President and CEO. “Volunteers are critical to the work we do. We rely on thousands each month to help us process food donations and get food to our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.”
As part of the We Care program, prosecutors and staff work together one Friday afternoon each quarter to benefit a nonprofit or governmental agency that serves Platte Countians. The We Care group has previously volunteered at Sullivan Nature Sanctuary, Synergy Services, Hillcrest Platte County, and The Farmer’s House. In December, they hosted a lunch with Santa Claus in the courthouse as he met with children who had been victimized by crime.
To learn more about Harvesters, visit www.harvesters.org.