A local grocer is counting on shoppers to help spice up the holidays for refugees who now call St. Louis home.
The Prapaisilp family, who owns Global Foods Market in Kirkwood and United Provisions in the Delmar Loop, has launched a spice drive at both locations to supplement canned food donations during the holiday season.
From now until Friday, Dec. 24, shoppers at either Global Foods or United Provisions are encouraged to add newly purchased, unopened spice jars in the labeled receptacles near the entrance/exit of each store. Donations benefit the International Institute of St. Louis and St. Louis Area Foodbank, and the Prapaisilp family will match each spice donation with one additional spice based on the preferences and requests of the respective organizations.
This is not the first time the family, who also owns local restaurants the King & I, Oishi Sushi, Oishi Steakhouse and Chao Baan, has initiated efforts to give back to the community.
Shayn Prapaisilp, chief operating officer of Global Foods Group, says the inspiration for the spice drive stems from last month’s successful gift card donation program at Global Foods Market. Customers donated $5,000 worth of gift cards for refugees – an amount that was matched with an additional $5,000 to the International Institute of St. Louis by the Prapaisilp family.
“When my family first immigrated from Thailand to the United States in the late 1970s, they were warmly received by the community in St. Louis,” Prapaisilp said. “Their first businesses primarily catered to the growing immigrant population in St. Louis, and we loved giving them a familiar taste of their homeland in their new home. We find that our continued efforts to engage with our community here is important due to how much the community has given to us.”
Prapaisilp says places like the St. Louis Area Foodbank will likely receive a large number of canned and other non-perishable food donations over the holidays, so the goal of the spice drive is to enhance the food items with flavors that can transform them into traditional family meals.
“The response has always been overwhelming,” Prapaisilp said. St. Louis is such a generous community and time and time again, we have always shown up for one another. This is one of the many reasons why we’re so proud and happy to call St. Louis our home.”
For more information on the spice drive at Global Foods Market, call (314) 835-1112 or stop by at 421 N. Kirkwood Road in Kirkwood. For United Provisions, call (314) 833-5699 or stop by the store at 6241 Delmar Blvd. in the Delmar Loop.
