NE Missouri News

Northeast Regional Medical Center recently concluded its third annual Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive, which collected a total of 1,764 jars of peanut butter, far exceeding last year's total of 440 jars. Participants included NRMC employees, local businesses, service organizations, and community members. CEO Patrick Avila credited the drive's success to increased community engagement and the new Fill the Truck Event, which alone brought in over 1,100 jars. "The community engagement this year was incredible," Avila stated. "A major difference in this year’s drive was the inclusion of the Fill the Truck Event. We collected over 1,100 jars from that one event alone. We appreciate the strong support of our local emergency services agencies."

The drive was organized to help alleviate food insecurity in Adair County, with all donations going to the Pantry for Adair County (PAC). The PAC, which served 575 families in 2024, expressed gratitude for the donation. Jennifer Walston, the pantry manager, expressed her appreciation: "The PAC is delighted to receive such a generous donation through the efforts of Northeast Regional Medical Center and the Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive. It was inspirational to see so many groups from our community partner together! Many thanks to every person who donated a jar to this cause."

Timing the donation with National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day on April 2, Walston emphasized the impact on the families they serve. "Every single household we serve will be offered this nutritional and popular protein source this month," she stated.