NEWS
Introducing Bobbie’s Birthday Club!
Pictured from left to right: Jim and Rose Brennan, Glenn Koenen, Bobbie Siesennop, Sharon and Fred Wear, Cyndi Miller Bobbie Siesennop has spent 30 years volunteering with Circle of Concern. As a pantry desk worker, she radiates kindness and joy toward every client she meets. She is dedicated to Circle’s core mission to feed families; however her passion for our Birthday Club — is evident to all who know her. Moved by the reality that many of the families we serve cannot afford gifts for their children, she helped to launch the Birthday Club program in 1999. This program serves...
Eureka High School Food Drive 2025
The Wildcats wrapped up another successful food drive! We are grateful to the students at Eureka High School for coming together to collect over 17,000 pounds of food! That’s 5,000 pounds more than last year! The holiday season can be especially difficult for many of our clients, and the support the Wildcats provided will help ensure that families have the stability they deserve during this special time of year. Led by the Student Council, their exceptional organization and teamwork in collecting food will continue to make a difference well into 2026.
Lafayette High School Food Drive 2025
It’s the holiday season and we’re celebrating the students at Lafayette High School for collecting nearly 10,000 pounds of canned goods and nonperishables during their recent holiday food drive. With each annual collection, they give more and more, showing just how much the students’ commitment and impact continue to grow. Because of this donation, families living in the Rockwood, Parkway, Kirkwood and Valley Park school districts will have fuller cupboards and a little less worry. Thanks to all that supported this drive!
UPDATE: We’re accepting food donations once again – Thank You!
OUR CUP AND OUR WAREHOUSE RUNNETH OVER – WE’RE BACK! Due to an overwhelming response from our community, we paused donations earlier in December to allow our volunteers to sort, stock, share with area families and make way for additional donations. WE’RE ACCEPTING FOOD DONATIONS ONCE AGAIN! We thank you for understanding and thank you for being such a generous and supportive community! Clients will continue to have appointments during this time. We are here to serve. Please visit our Ways to Help if you’re interested in getting involved in another way.
We are here for the community
We’ve had an overwhelming response from our community this past week and we’re thankful! As donations come in, we’re immediately restocking our shelves to meet the growing needs of our low-income neighbors and families. With SNAP benefits currently unavailable, we’re also providing additional short-term assistance to eligible families who have been impacted. We’re grateful to everyone who has contributed so far. You are making a difference! Want to help? Make a donation: Circle of Concern’s largest expenses are fresh/perishable foods and short-term financial assistance for our clients. In fact, 85 cents of every dollar we receive directly supports our clients...
Harvest Moon Trivia 2025 Success!
Thank you, Circle community! We are grateful to everyone who supported our Harvest Moon Trivia Night on October 10th! Thanks to your generosity and incredible spirit, we raised $23,000 – our highest total yet! Of course, all proceeds directly benefit our pantry and client programs. It’s always heartwarming to see the Circle community come together. The energy at the event continues to be a fun and memorable atmosphere. We thank everyone for believing in our mission because we couldn’t do this without you. We’d like to send a shoutout to our special guest hosts, Garry Frank and Tracy Hinson from...
Circle’s 2025 Open House Recap
Recently, Circle of Concern welcomed the community for an open house. It was a day filled with pantry updates, meaningful connections, and, of course, some delicious bites. We even had popsicles from Dulce Pop STL! It was a day to share more about our mission, meet new faces, and celebrate the collective work we’re doing to fight hunger in our community. Thanks to those that attended, all who support our efforts, and volunteers that move our mission forward. As we continue this important work together, we look forward to making an even greater impact in the year ahead!
Intern Morgan’s Zucchini Brownie Recipe
This summer, we had the opportunity to work with Morgan, our intern from Logan University, who supported our food pantry operations and Garden Greens Program. She also took initiative to address a common challenge — how to make use of an influx of seasonal produce, especially zucchini. She developed a simple and tasty recipe for Zucchini Brownies and shared samples with our clients. Morgan showed a new way to use what’s available. We appreciate her sweet contribution and the time she spent helping us serve our community! ZUCCHINI BROWNIE RECIPE What I need: 1 cup grated zucchini (squeeze out excess...
McKelvey Homes Raises Nearly $38,000 for Circle!
McKelvey homes has a passion for helping others and they’ve always believed that building homes means more than constructing houses. With their community support, they continue to strengthen the communities in the St. Louis Region. From April 1 through June 30, we were fortunate to partner with McKelvey Homes to be a recipient of their generous 1898 Giving Program. As part of this initiative, McKelvey Homes donated $1,898 for every home sold during that time and raising almost $38,000 to support Circle of Concern’s vital work. Why $1,898?The donation amount was a tribute to their founding year, 1898, and a...
Volunteer Spotlight – Greg Howard
Today’s spotlight is on a volunteer whose dedication and commitment have made a real difference at Circle.Like most of our volunteers, Greg Howard volunteers at Circle to serve our clients and help the community. While he’s not in it for the accolades, he is a fan favorite amongst the volunteers and one of many wonderful volunteers we have in the warehouse. Volunteer Spotlight: Greg Howard Greg has been a warehouse volunteer at Circle for over 8 years, coming to us through his church, Living Word, and our connection with their congregation. After learning more about Circle, he knew this was...
