by Monica Palmer
If you’re a regular visitor to this site, you may have noticed a change upon this visit. Namely, that the “Missouri Food Bank Association” is now “Feeding Missouri.”
So why the change? Perhaps you are of Juliet’s ilk and wonder, “what’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Not to disagree with Shakespeare’s lovely heroine, but I think she may be oversimplifying the power of a name.
I remember the day I finally changed my surname to my husband’s. I had successfully avoided this change for almost two years after our nuptials, and I had two pretty good reasons to do so. First, I was a local radio personality at the time, and marketing dollars had been spent to brand my maiden name, so that seemed like a decent excuse. I also had a son whose name would differ from mine if I took my husband’s name, and that was an undebatable get out of name-change free card. If I’m completely honest, though, I really just didn’t want to change my name. I didn’t see the point of it.
When my husband adopted my son, and I saw how proud my little boy was to be a Palmer, just like his dad, I finally got the point. I realized that a seemingly insignificant name change has the power to unite a family and give a sense of belonging and purpose.
“Missouri Food Bank Association” was a name that got to the point of who we are: an association of six unique food banks located throughout the state of Missouri. “Feeding Missouri,” however, gets to the heart of why these food banks exist.
The six Missouri food banks vary in size and distribution, and they have differing programs and operational philosophies, but the goal is the same: to feed hungry Missourians. Together, the family of food banks in Missouri, located in Sikeston, Springfield, Kansas City, Saint Joseph, Columbia, and Saint Louis, make sure food insecure families in each of the 114 counties and the city of Saint Louis are served.
The name “Feeding Missouri” unites our member food banks in a common purpose that is comprehensive and impossible to achieve individually. Together, we are Feeding Missouri.
