Southeast Mo. Food Bank receives BBB TORCH Award

SOUTHEAST Mo. (KFVS) - The Southeast Missouri Food Bank won the Better Business Bureau TORCH Award for BBB serving the eastern and southern Missouri and Southern Illinois regions.

According to a release from the food bank, the TORCH Awards honor businesses and charities “exemplifying high ethics in their treatment of customers, employees and suppliers.”

Three businesses and one nonprofit were recognized in 2022.

“BBB TORCH Awards recognize organizations that are committed to exceptional standards and high ethics,” Whitney Quick, BBB Cape Girardeau regional director, said. “These organizations have truly joined BBB’s mission of advancing marketplace trust in an exemplary way, and they are role models for other businesses in the community.”

According to the release, SEMO Food Bank serves food-insecure residents of 16 counties in the region through some 140 member agencies, as well as programs like mobile food pantries and weekly backpacks for schoolchildren.

Founded in 1985, the organization distributes about a million pounds of food every month.

CEO Joey Keys said the organization’s BBB Accreditation “means we do things the right way.”

“Winning a TORCH Award is very exciting for us,” Keys said in the release. “It builds trust with our donors, our partners, as well as the people we serve.”

Southeast Missouri Food Bank and other TORCH Award winners were recognized during ceremonies at their offices.