The 16th annual Cowboy Classic Pro Rodeo is collecting food for Ozarks Food Harvest on Mar. 23 and 24 for the seventh straight year. Attendees are asked to bring food donations to the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds Indoor Coliseum in exchange for $2 off admission. Learn more.
Brad Paisley teaming up with Ozarks Food Harvest
Country music superstar Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality World Tour 2012 is coming to Springfield on Feb. 25! In advance of the concert, Paisley has partnered with Ozarks Food Harvest to raise food donations to help feed struggling families in southwest Missouri. Help Transform Hunger into Hope with your food donation for a chance to win two VIP tickets and meet and greet passes! Donate ten food items or $10 outside the JQH Arena before the concert—just look for Ozarks Food Harvest and food bank volunteers!
Two local foundations present $200,000 in hunger relief grants
In late January, the Slusher Foundation awarded grants totaling $100,000 to nearly one dozen OFH members in Taney and Stone counties. In early February, the Musgrave Foundation gifted $100,000 in awards to seven Greene County-area OFH partners. Heartfelt thanks to both of these organizations for their extraordinary efforts to fight hunger in the Ozarks. Congratulations to Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks (Branson, Forsyth, Reeds Spring), Christian Action Ministries, Christian Associates, Church Army Branson, Gift of Hope, Jesus Was Homeless, Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch, North Stone County Food Pantry, Our Lady of the Cove, Heart of the Ozarks, Crosslines, The Kitchen, Ash Grove Food Pantry, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (Billings), Springfield Community Center and Springfield Victory Mission.
Food for Fines 2012 collects five tons of food
Springfield–Greene County Library patrons exchanged Food for Fines in January! Through the 3rd annual food drive, Jan. 22–28, community members received a 50-cent credit on their overdue book fines for each donated food item. Nearly 10,000 pounds was collected by all ten library branches and the bookmobile. Read the release.
Thank you for “Checking-out Hunger”
'The Check Out Hunger holiday campaign ended Dec. 31. Thank you Ozarks for adding your $1 tax-free donation at the following participating grocers: Akin's, Country Mart, Bistro Market, Dillon Stores, Harter House, Murfin's Market, Price Cutter, Ramey, Save-A-Lot, Smillie's, Smitty's, Summer Fresh & Woods. Check back for the grand total by Feb. 1! Read the media release.Learn more.
McDonald’s Cans for Coffee makes OFH history
Ozarks Food Harvest received the final donations from the fourth annual McDonald’s Cans for Coffee food drive, collecting a grand total of 36,650 pounds, making it the largest annual food drive in The Food Bank’s history. Since 2008, Cans for Coffee has encouraged community members to donate a nonperishable food item at a participating McDonald’s of the Ozarks location. In exchange, donors receive one free small McCafé® drink of their choice. This year’s food drive was held Oct. 31–Nov. 20 at 60 local McDonald’s restaurants. Read more. Go to the event page.
Harvest Soup Cook-offdraws more than 500 supporters
More than 500 community members sampled soups and stews at the 2nd annual Harvest Soup Cook-off at the Greater Springfield Farmers’ Market (Battlefield Mall parking lot) on Saturday, Oct. 15. More than 1,000 lbs. of food was collected and a total of $1,747.04 was raised. Zio’s took first place and Big Whiskey’s was runner-up in the restaurant division. In the market vendor division, Flintrock Bison Ranch again won first place. Thayer Farms received runner-up. Special thanks to the more than 20 restaurants and market vendors for participating, the Greater Springfield Farmers’ Market, Fellers Fixtures, Opfer Communications, Springfield Paper Company, Palmisano Communications, Harvest on Wheels and all of the OFH volunteers!. Learn more. Watch the PSA
September is Hunger Action Month. Play your role in ending hunger. Click “share” below to pass along the video. The problem is closer than you think, but so is the solution. Learn how you can help.
NBC Nightly News features Ozarks Food Harvest
NBC Nightly News visited Ozarks Food Harvest in Springfield and the Joplin Family Worship Center—one of the pantries The Food Bank serves in Joplin—in August. Even though progress has been made months after the tornado devastated the community, there is still a great need. Watch the broadcasted Food Bank feeling the pinch and the special web-only story, Transforming hunger into hope.
Disaster relief efforts drain Food Bank, Food Drives urgently needed
Ozarks Food Harvest has sent more than 100 semi-truckloads—or close to 2 million pounds of product valued at more than $3 million—to the Joplin community since May 23. The Food Bank dispatches 15 truckloads to the Joplin area weekly, while its remaining 300 member food pantries and feeding sites across the Ozarks are seeing demand for their services spike. Ozarks Food Harvest is asking community groups to host food drives for all of southwest Missouri. Learn how you can help. Read the media release.
Ozarks Food Harvest serves Joplin for the long-haul.
In response to the tornado devastation in Joplin, Ozarks Food Harvest has secured many truckloads of food items and supplies that will be delivered to the affected area this week. Donations are still needed and can be delivered to The Food Bank at 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave. in Springfield. Monetary donations are also requested at this time and can be made securely online or to OFH, Attn: Joplin Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 5746, Springfield, MO 65801-5746. Read the media releases. Purchase a benefit t-shirt. See OFH Joplin relief sites.
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Hungerthon 2011 exceeds goal
Thank you Ozarks! Ozarks Food Harvest and Clear Channel Radio’s Alice@95.5’s 13th annual Hungerthon radiothon event raised $127,875 for the Weekend Backpack Program™. Special thanks to all event sponsors, corporate matches and individuals who pledged to sponsor a Backpack child. Read more. View event photos.
2011 Small Business of the Year
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce announced Ozarks Food Harvest as its 2011 W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award recipient on May 4 during its annual awards luncheon. Read more. View photos. Watch the video.
Provide nutritious food to those in need
Harvest on Wheels collects and transports food donated by generous farmers, gardeners and other caring neighbors to local hunger relief agencies. In the past two years, Harvest on Wheels has collected nearly 60,000 lbs. of fresh produce and nonperishable food items and more than $5,000 for Ozarks Food Harvest’s Network! Get involved.
Food Insecurity Study & Million Dollar Hunger Challenge
Ozarks Food Harvest recently unveiled a landmark analysis of local food insecurity levels via the Map the Meal Gap study. In response to the new data, Walmart and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks are teaming up to increase hunger relief efforts—along with The Food Bank—across southwest Missouri. Thanks to a $125,000 gift from the Walmart Foundation, the trio of organizations will conduct the Ozarks Million Dollar Hunger Challenge for a second consecutive year. Read more.