The Second Harvest community food Bank in St. Joseph hands out more than five million pounds of food per year to its members in Northwest Missouri and northeastern Kansas. This week, some of the food bank’s members will receive a box of food packed by the next Governor of Missouri.

Eric Greitens came to St. Joseph on Tuesday to lend a hand at Second Harvest, and to greet supporters at an event at Missouri Western State University.

“One of the things we wanted to do was to stop by and highlight the tremendous work that they’re doing at Second Harvest,” Greitens said. “You know they’re feeding 15,000 people per week here.”

“And the fact is there are real Missourians who are out there who are hurting. And especially at a time like this, with the holidays, it’s important for all of us to recognize that we all have a role to play.”

The governor-elect and members of “Team Greitens” volunteered to help pack boxes of food Tuesday.

“It’s a pleasure to volunteer,” Greitens told reporters. “I’m inspired by so many Missourians who are out there volunteering every day doing work like this. We appreciate all the work that the volunteers are doing here today.

Greitens also stepped into the Fresh Start food pantry at Second Harvest to meet and greet the food bank’s members.

The governor-elect’s team then moved on to Missouri Western where he hosted another stop on his “Thank You Tour.”