By RYAN SKAITH

The United Way of Greater St. Joseph has meal kits available for residents who need a little extra help with food costs this holiday season.

President of The United Way of Greater St. Joseph, Kylee Strough, says the agency is anticipating to assemble about 3,000 meal kits. “We are sharing the meal kits with dozens of different organizations throughout the area, including food pantries, churches, nonprofits and schools.” This includes Buchanan, Andrew and Doniphan Counties.

Volunteers are donating their time to help assemble the kits. Strough notes the volunteer turnout has been great, “We have room for forty volunteers per session and most of them are full, but there are still a few openings.”

The next voulnteer session is Friday, Dec. 12 at 1:00 p.m. followed by another session Saturday morning.

Strough adds, “We actually kicked off December 9th and will run through December 22nd, and we have eight volunteer sessions left.”

She goes on to say that with the holidays, December can be an expensive month for a lot of people, “Anybody can benefit from this. We don’t ask for any proof of anything. If this helps relieve a little stress and stretch a limited budget, its our pleasure to be a part of it.”

The kits are designed to provide easy-to-prepare meals for small families (4-6 servings). Each kit is packed in a foil pan and includes all the necessary shelf-stable ingredients and a simple recipe card.

The initial recipes include: chicken & stuffing, tuna noodle casserole, chili mac, and chicken taco soup.

The United Way says all food items are provided in their original packaging, ensuring recipients can easily view ingredients and adjust preparation to meet any food sensitivity or allergy needs.

If you would like to inquire about volunteer opportunites or need a meal kit, contact the United Way of Greater Joseph.

Strough gave a special thank you to Mosaic Life Care and Mosaic Life Care Foundation for their financial support with the meal kits.