Missouri American Water presented a check today for $2,500 to The Little Bit Foundation, a St. Louis-based nonprofit working to empower under-resourced students in the classroom and beyond, to help support families facing food insecurity due to the COVID-19 crisis.

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Samantha Williams with Missouri American Water presents $2,500 check to Lydia Huston of The Little Bit Foundation for the Feeding Hope program. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Missouri American Water is honored to support our community by providing fresh groceries and essential supplies to children and families impacted by school closures,” said Debbie Dewey, president of Missouri American Water.

The Little Bit Foundation created the Feeding Hope program in 2020 in response to an increased need for food. For some families, school meals were the primary source of food for school-aged children.

“COVID left many of the students we serve without the lifeline of support they receive in school each day, including school meals,” said Rosemary Hanley, CEO and Co-Founder of The Little Bit Foundation. “We realized early on that many families – for various reasons – were unable to access food pantries and distribution sites, and so we stepped in to fill a critical gap for the highest-needs families with direct delivery of food. A year later, many of our students are still learning from home and families are dealing with the financial repercussions of the pandemic.”

Hanley said that in the new school year, The Little Bit Foundation also is delivering essentials and educational materials in addition to groceries directly to households and will continue to do so as long as there is a need. Since March 2020, The Little Bit Foundation’s Feeding Hope program has provided nearly 400,000 meals to students and families.

Missouri American Water learned about The Little Bit Foundation’s mission when Lydia Huston met Brian Billups, an operations supervisor at the water utility.

“After hearing about The Little Bit Foundation’s commitment to the community, I knew this was an opportunity for Missouri American Water to assist food insecure families in Greater St. Louis,” Billups said. “Access to food is critical to uplifting children from poverty.”

In December 2020, Tracie Figueroa, Missouri American Water’s business services specialist read about The Little Bit Foundation in St. Louis Magazine and saw an opportunity to help.

“I was moved by the interview question that asked, ‘What is the single most important thing a child needs to succeed?’” Figueroa said. “Rosemary Hanley answered, ‘Someone to believe in them.’ That hit me because children are vital to all of our futures. We are proud to provide children with clean, reliable drinking water but I knew donating to Feeding Hope would help nurture the children we serve.”

Missouri American Water

Missouri American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.5 million people. For more, visit missouriamwater.com and follow Missouri American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

American Water

With a history dating to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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