Mo. Rev. Stat. § 96.290: Boards shall furnish relief, when.

It shall be the duty of said board, when any person by himself or another applies for relief, to make immediate inquiry into the state and circumstances of the applicant, and if it shall appear that he or she is in such indigent circumstances as to require temporary relief, the said board shall furnish, out of the funds in its hands, such relief as the circumstances of the case may require; provided, that in all cases where the applicant for aid may be found dependent, and said applicant or member of said applicant's family is an able-bodied person, said board shall require such person to perform work to the value of the aid given.