Critical Needs: Feeding the Hungry grants awarded to nonprofits working to feed the hungry
Paducah, KY, April 6, 2026 — Area nonprofits working to ease food insecurity have been awarded a new grant from The Critical Community Needs: Feeding the Hungry fund through the Community Foundation of West Kentucky. More than two dozen nonprofits in 11 regional counties were notified of the grants in March.
CFWK Director of Grants, Compliance and Special Projects Julie McKeel said the response to the project was significant.
“Organizations in every county in western Kentucky are on the front lines of trying to relieve food insecurity in their community. It can be a struggle to find the financial resources to meet the demand, but we hope the Feeding the Hungry grant will make a difference,” McKeel said.
“Food is one of the most basic human needs, and the nonprofits receiving these grants assist the elderly, children, and families through hot meals and supplemental groceries, and we are pleased to help them help others,” McKeel said.
Grant Recipients
The following organizations received Critical Community Needs: Feeding the Hungry grants:
Barren County
River Lake Church, Inc.
Ballard County
Ballard County Senior Center
Calloway County
Murray-Calloway County Needline
Soup for the Soul
Carlisle County
Bethlehem Baptist Church
Milburn United Methodist Church, which also serves Ballard, Hickman and Graves counties
Fulton County
Kenn-Tenn Foodbank Inc.
Graves County
Mayfield-Graves County Needline and Food Pantry
First Assembly of God
Saint Vincent de Paul Society
Hope Center Mayfield / Hope for Life Pregnancy Care Center Inc., which also serves Carlisle, Fulton and Hickman counties
Mayfield Enrichment Center, which also serves Calloway, Fulton, Hickman and McCracken counties
Hickman County
Hickman County Cooperative Ministry
Livingston County
Ohio Valley Baptist Church
Marshall County
Three Crosses Church – Helping Hands Food Pantry
Marcella’s Kitchen
Marshall County Caring, Inc. and Needline
McCracken County
Community Ministries Inc.
Paducah Cooperative Ministry
Heart USA / Healthcare Equip.
The Salvation Army, Paducah Corps, which also serves Ballard, Livingston and Marshall counties
Highland Baptist Church, which also serves Ballard, Graves and Livingston counties
Women Aware, Inc. DBA Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center, which also serves Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman and Marshall counties
Union County
Sturgis First Christian Church
Happy Pack, Inc.
The Critical Community Needs: Feeding the Hungry grants were made possible with a contribution from the Biggs Endowment, established by former Paducah Mayor and Community Foundation founder, the late Gerry Biggs Montgomery, in honor of her parents. Additional donations from CFWK and various donors were also contributed to the Critical Needs Fund. The grants ranged between $250 and $2,500 per award.
Plans for the Critical Community Needs: Feeding the Hungry grant were initiated in late 2025 by the Community Foundation in partnership with Dr. Evelyn Montgomery Jones and her siblings, in response to an increased need for food assistance throughout western Kentucky.
The Community Foundation of West Kentucky, one of eight accredited community foundations in Kentucky, works in partnership with donors and organizations to enrich the quality of life for current and future residents of Western Kentucky.