An interesting question crossed my mind the other day – What would Missouri look like without Empower Missouri? Empower Missouri is the oldest and largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in our state. In 1901, a group of 41 Missourians came together at the YMCA in St. Louis to discuss critical, deep-rooted societal issues. This group continued...Read More

For many Missouri families, school meals are more than just breakfast and lunch — they are a dependable source of nutrition that helps children learn, grow, and thrive. Yet too often, families face barriers to accessing school meals, whether due to paperwork, stigma, changing household finances, or simply not knowing they qualify for help. The...Read More

Most of us go through life working and trying to do it well, but every once in a while there comes a moment when you realize you’ve become part of something much bigger, something with the potential to change how people think and, perhaps, chart the course of history. I believe that’s where the Missouri...Read More

History of the Law The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is the result of the largest bipartisan housing effort since the Housing and Development Act of 1968. The legislation is the response of the nation’s congressional representatives to the grim housing outlook Americans have been facing for decades. Arizona Rep. French Hill introduced the...Read More

For the last several months we’ve been celebrating our 125th anniversary year. This fall, our Anti Poverty Advocates Summit will be the height of celebrating. Our organization started as an annual conference, the Missouri Conference on Charities and Corrections, with our first-ever event being held on January 10 and 11 in 1901 at the Downtown...Read More

In 1984 Missouri voters first approved a conservation sales tax of 0.1%. The Parks, Soil and Water Sales Tax applies to every taxable sale in Missouri, including groceries, and the revenue generated is designated only for this purpose. Some of the fund goes to soil preservation to correct and prevent erosion. In 1982 Missouri had...Read More

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – 9 July 2026 — Earlier today, Governor Kehoe signed SB 1421, an omnibus criminal justice package that includes automated record sealing for eligible drug offenses. With this signing, approximately 200,000 Missourians with eligible records will finally see an end to a lifetime of collateral consequences. Under SB 1421, sealing of eligible...Read More

If you could ask someone running for office about affordable housing, food security, or community justice, what would you ask? That was the challenge for attendees at Empower Missouri’s June in-person coalition meetings. In early June, I braved the construction zones of I-70 to attend the three meetings in Columbia. Members of our three coalitions,...Read More

This August you’ll be able to vote in statewide primary elections to decide the party candidates for your area, as well as a few ballot issues. Now, my dad often skipped these elections, he wanted to let the party diehards work out for themselves who they thought best represented their issues. A more independent voter,...Read More

Hello everyone, I am GP Worley. I am excited to be joining the Empower Missouri team as the inaugural Charles Ellwood Graduate Fellow! As I start my position, I am wrapping up my Master of Social Work program at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, where I cultivated my...Read More