OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Chelsea Salifou, a pastor and CEO of the Heartland Hope Mission, takes the responsibility of keeping the community fed personally.
“I come from a working poor family and I know how hard my parents struggled just to feed us,” Salifou said.
She runs two area pantries, one in South Omaha and the other in West Omaha. The latter location is seeing more people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
“There is a growing population in this area,” Salifou said. “We still haven’t plateaued there because there are so many families in the west Omaha area who are struggling.”
Salifou said 11 schools in the area have 40% or more of their kids eligible for free and reduced lunch.
One way she’s trying to combat hunger is by bringing food to the people with a donated food truck from the Food Bank for the Heartland. Salifou said it’s been used to feed over 100 people in West Omaha.
“That’s both kids over the summer, (and) homeless people that are in the need of food assistance,” she said.
Salifou knows the need will continue as long as the cost of food remains high, and said fighting hunger is ultimately a community effort.
“Investing in organizations like Heartland Hope Mission that are helping prevent people from becoming homeless is not only critical for our families, but for our community,” she said.
Salifou plans to have her West Omaha pantry location fully open by the end of the month, it will provide job opportunities and other client services for families in need.
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