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Our Story

“…because hunger doesn’t take the weekend off.”

ECHO — Early Childhood Hunger Operation — began in 2010 as a simple class project with a powerful purpose. A group of University of Central Missouri students, taking a combined course in Entrepreneurship (led by Dr. Mary McCord) and Social Work (led by Dr. Marlys Peck), were challenged to create and evaluate a program that would meet a real need within their community.

During their research, the students discovered a critical gap — while older children often received food assistance, preschool-aged children were being overlooked. With that realization, the idea for ECHO was born: to provide weekend supplemental food for local preschoolers who might otherwise go without nutritious meals when school isn’t in session.

What began as a small campus project quickly made a big impact. In its first semester, ECHO was serving about 50 children each week, and the results spoke for themselves. Knowing that one in five children in Johnson County faced food insecurity, the students wanted their work to continue beyond the classroom. They presented the program to the First Presbyterian Church of Warrensburg, which embraced ECHO as a church mission, with Dr. Mary McCord continuing as its first Director.

In December 2012, Jamie Grohe joined as Volunteer Coordinator, uniting volunteers from UCM, the Warrensburg School District, Whiteman Air Force Base, and local businesses and organizations. A year later, Jamie stepped into the role of Director, guiding ECHO through a period of growth and transition. Under her leadership, ECHO established a Board of Directors, earned 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, and became a proud partner agency of Harvesters, the regional food bank.

In May 2019, Dawn Moore became Executive Director — bringing with her a deep passion for service, a strong sense of community, and an unwavering commitment to ECHO’s mission. Under Dawn’s leadership, ECHO has reached new heights. She has expanded the organization’s outreach, building partnerships with additional preschools and early childhood centers, growing the volunteer network, and increasing both awareness and support across Johnson County. Dawn’s dedication and steady leadership have helped ECHO not only grow in size, but also in impact — ensuring that more children than ever have reliable access to weekend nourishment.

Today, ECHO serves hundreds of children every month, distributing thousands of pounds of food throughout Johnson County, Missouri. What started as a college project has grown into a lasting community movement — a powerful echo of compassion that continues to feed young minds and hearts every week.