November 2016
Vital Farms to donate 1 million eggs by 2016 It is no secret that eggs are a nutritional source of protein. However, sources of protein continue to remain on Ozarks Food Harvest’s list of most-needed items. For people with allergies, a jar of peanut butter is not an option and meat is not always available. This is one of the reasons why The Food Bank’s new partnership with Vital Farms will make a large impact on the amount of nutritious protein network members will be able to provide to clients. Vital Farms is an Austin, Texas based company that is the leading producer of pasture-raised eggs in the U.S. Pastureraised eggs are produced from hens that have room to roam, rather than hens that just sit in an enclosed cage. The company is building a new Springfield plant, and although the building is not complete, Vital Farms is already investing in the local community. In fact, Vital Farms plans to donate more than 1 million eggs to Ozarks Food Harvest by the end of 2016 and is currently delivering eggs weekly to The Food Bank. “The donations are just another way that Vital Farms is investing in Missouri on various levels,” read a company statement. “Next year Vital Farms will expand in the Springfield region by opening a new processing facility that will process the company’s pasture-raised eggs and create 50 new full-time jobs in the first year with growth plans to create up to 50 additional
IN THIS ISSUE
OZARKS FOOD HARVEST VOLUNTEERS FROM CHASE SORT EGGS DONATED BY VITAL FARMS.
jobs in the future.” Last month, Vital Farms began building the 82,140-square-foot egg-processing plant on 11 acres in Partnership Industrial Center West. The plant will be a processing facility for the company’s supply chain of 100 farmers who provide eggs from pasture-raised hens. At the plant, eggs will be evaluated for grading, quality inspection, sorting, packing and transportation of the eggs to over 6,000 U.S. grocery stores, including The Fresh Market, Whole Foods Market, Kroger
stores and Target. “Egg donations to Ozarks Food Harvest are rare and Vital Farms’ contribution will help provide healthy and nutritious meals to those struggling with hunger across southwest Missouri, which is especially important as one in six adults and one in four children in southwest Missouri are at risk of going hungry,” said Kayla Joyce, spokeswoman for Vital Farms. Ozarks Food Harvest is excited to now be able to offer more eggs to network members thanks to Vital Farms.
Tips on receiving food donations Introducing Agency Regional Meetings Details on the tax-exempt status review How one pantry raised funds in a creative way
VOLUNTEERS FROM C-STREET CONNECT PANTRY AT CRIMSON HOUSE RECEIVE USDA CERTIFIED FOOD.
How to receive food donations
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he Food Bank helps feed nearly 30,000 individuals weekly and distributes more than 16.68 million pounds of food annually, none of which would be possible without accepting food donations. While this is an instrumental part of what we do, it does not go without scrutiny. Federal food safety standards need to be met in order for the food donations to benefit the clients we serve. What good would we be doing the clients if they get sick from mishandled food that is not safe to distribute? A recent newspaper headline announced a local food pantry being forced to throw out 900 pounds of meat that was processed at a plant that was not USDA certified. Meat
donations can only be accepted from USDA processing facilities in the original packaging. Home processing and repackaging is not allowed. If you receive meat donations and the packaging is too large to distribute to even a large family, contact Ozarks Food Harvest for information on where the donation could best be used in your area. Canned and packaged food must remain in original packaging with the original ingredient label fully intact. Repackaging and homemade meals or foods (canned/jarred) cannot be accepted. Repackaging food requires strict food safety regulations, and OFH is not even equipped to repackage food. Wearing gloves as you move
food from one package to another does not meet the industry standards for food safety and creates a liability issue for your agency. Repackaging food also becomes an issue of cross contamination, which is something a client with food allergies cannot take lightly. It can mean life or death for a client with a severe nut allergy, for instance. It is important to keep in mind that the food you are receiving was once considered waste to someone else and was headed to the landfill. During the fiscal year of 2016, the total waste for OFH was only 5.7 percent of the food taken in. The implications of this for you means more meals on the tables of those who need them, rather than feeding the pigs. However, our motto in regards to food safety is: when in doubt, throw it out. If you are unsure of the proper donations sorting process, please contact Member Services at 417-380-5007 to speak with someone about details on how your agency could receive further training.
ITEMS CANNED BY MANUFACTURES ENSURE THAT THERE IS NO CROSS CONTAMINATION.
Agency Regional Meetings provide a way to connect We would like to introduce our Agency Regional Meetings, a new and exciting way to connect with other local agencies. Our service area is divided into four regions: eastern, western, central and northern. Each region will hold its own meetings throughout the year and will focus on topics specific to that region.
Our purpose is two-fold: bring agencies together in an effort to better learn the services each one provides and build a stronger network through collaboration. We want to know and talk about what is important to your agency. The eastern and western regions have held successful meetings. The agencies involved
loved the idea of collaborating more than just once a year at the Agency Conference. While the first phase of these meetings will only include pantry sites, feeding sites will be included in the future. Join us for a regional meeting near you and let your voice be heard. Contact member services to find out how to get involved.
DID YOU KNOW? Our After-School sites served 11,781 more snacks and 3,807 more dinners than the previous program year! Ozarks Food Harvest made 3,354 deliveries to agencies, schools and Mobile Food Pantry sites during fiscal year 2016, which is a 12 percent increase from fiscal year 2015. In fiscal year 2016 we averaged 14 deliveries every weekday of the year.
TEFAP corner
Tax-exempt status
Every year, The Food Bank is required to review the tax exempt status of organizations with which we have a signed Food Bank/Eligible Recipient Agency Agreement (FD-6). The review is required by FNS Policy Memorandum FD-118, Automatic Revocation of Tax-Exempt Status. The policy requires a review of the IRS Automatic Revocation of Exemption List to be conducted periodically, but no less frequently than annually to ensure that organizations maintain their tax exempt status. We are currently reviewing all of our agencies and if the name of your organization appears on the revoked listing, The Food Bank will be contacting you regarding the next required step. If you have any questions about tax-exempt status, contact Member Services at 417-380-5007 and a staff member will answer any of your questions concerning the review. It is our mission to help you better serve clients in any way we can.
CONTACT US Ozarks Food Harvest Member Services 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave. Springfield, Mo., 65803 memberservices@ ozarksfoodharvest.org (417) 380-5007 ozarksfoodharvest.org
Director Q & A
Janet Mills
J
anet Mills, director of Cassville UMC Food Pantry, became involved with the pantry while she worked as an administrative assistant for the church. What started as a part-time job of handing out food boxes to people in need, quickly became a full-time career as the pantry grew. Learn more about Janet by reading our interview with her. Q: What has been your biggest achievement at the pantry? A: I do not assume any personal credit for the clock that ticks through the days, months and years of helping feed the hungry. My job is to wind the clock and then it runs and goes and keeps doing what it should if it is taken care of and maintained. Q: Have you faced any challenges? A: I have been challenged to accept that every day will deliver the unexpected. Since volunteers are by definition volunteering, there is built in inconsistency in attendance, retention and commitment for a variety of reasons. Managing a pantry is a leap of faith every single day that things will all come together for good. The days do almost always come together for good ultimately, but usually not without some stress and surprises mixed in. Q: What is your most memorable moment from the pantry? A: Most memorable moments are quick and fleeting sensations we collect from clients’
reactions to receiving help. Examples of memorable moments are witnessing scenes playing before your eyes. A strong man will be humbled to tears upon receiving assistance when he was so scared and intimidated to come in the first place. An elderly woman whispers thank you in your ear and grasps your hand. Children smile when they see that the food box is going into their car and they realize they get to eat soon. You can see the faces of mothers relax and transform in relief when they receive the food. Q: What do you do in your spare time? A: I live on a small farm and spend time outdoors when I can. I love to “smell the roses”, hike and watch wildlife, even of the backyard variety like squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and occasional deer.
Welcome new member agencies We would like to welcome two new agencies to our growing network: Parkview Christian Church and His House Foundation. Both agencies became members in October and will be great additions to fulfilling our mission in their communities of Transforming Hunger into Hope. Parkview Christian Church operates in Springfield and works to provide Weekend Backpacks for students at Parkview High School as well as providing breakfast before
SAVE THE DATE
school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They also offer food assistance on Mondays. His House Foundation operates in Shell Knob and offers a Tuesday night meal to those in the community who need it. They partner with community organizations to assist clients with services in the area through their F.U.E.L. (feeding, understanding, educating, loving) program as they work to solve poverty issues at the root of the problem by connecting youth to resources.
The Ozarks Food Harvest Agency Conference is April 10, 2017 at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center.
Pantry. “When I learned about the Hunger Challenge 7 matching grant and about how the Garbee Brothers wanted the tractor pulling event to benefit our pantry, I guess I did a little dance.” The tractor pulling event always draws a large crowd and features many rules, a few of which include that tractors must be manufactured in 1938 or before, no overly large tires and participants must respect the judges’ decisions. “This fair has been going on for 51 years and families look forward to it every time,” Hutton said. “The tractor pulling event is one of the biggest parts of the fair. Of course the prizes for winning the tractor pull aren’t that big, but the bragging rights are what the winners enjoy the most.”
TWO ANTIQUE TRACTORS ARE BEING PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TRACTOR PULL.
Tractor pull raises money
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he Annual Billings Antique Classic Tractor Pull is a tradition at the Billings Community Fair. Among the freshly painted antique tractors, bright lights of the Ferris wheel and enticing food carts are community members who care about their hungry neighbors. Although many things remain the same for the tradition, this year’s tractor pulling event benefited the St. Vincent De Paul Society St. Joseph Food Pantry located in Billings and raised $625 for hungry community members.
A tractor pull is a motor sport in which modified farm tractors are dragged on a metal sled along a prescribed course. The Annual Billings Antique Classic Tractor Pull took place on Sept. 2 and helped the food pantry raise its funds for the Walmart Hunger Challenge 7 matching grant. “Our revenue has been down this year, and we were beginning to get worried about how we would offer as many services to our clients that we do,” said Pat Hutton, treasurer of the St. Vincent De Paul Society St. Joseph’s Food
Good news at The Food Bank Successful Hunger Action Month
Check Out Hunger has begun
The Food Bank had another recordbreaking Hunger Action Month. Thank you to everyone who helped spread the news of the one in four children and one in six adults who struggle with hunger in southwest Missouri. Hungerthon, our largest fundraiser of the year, raised $140,447 for the Weekend Backpack Program, our Empty Bowls event raised $7,440 (selling all 220 handcrafted bowls that were donated) and our Iron Chef event raised nearly $4,000. All of these events set new records. This campaign takes a lot of work, but when the community comes together to take action against hunger it makes it all worth it.
Nearly sixty area stores will partner with Ozarks Food Harvest to help Check Out Hunger this holiday season to raise money to feed those in need and to benefit our 200 member agencies. Check Out Hunger gives shoppers in local communities the opportunity to add a $1, $3 or $5 tax-free donation to their bill when checking out at area grocers, including Akin’s Natural Foods, Bistro Market, Country Mart, Harter House, Hy-Vee, King Cash Saver, Murfin’s Market, Pennington’s Supermarket, Price Cutter, Price Cutter Plus, Ramey, Rhodes Family Price Chopper, Summer Fresh and Woods Supermarket.
“When I learned about the Hunger Challenge 7 matching grant and about how the Garbee Brothers wanted the tractor pulling event to benefit our pantry, I guess I did a little dance.” -Pat Hutton, treasurer of St. Joseph’s Pantry The Walmart Hunger Challenge 7 grant was a pass through grant given to Ozarks Food Harvest to benefit its member network. Agencies were encouraged to use the funds as a matching grant in order to raise more money for hungry individuals. If your pantry received the Walmart Hunger Challenge 7 grant and had a creative way of fundraising, contact Member Services at 417380-5007 to share your story.
LOOKING AHEAD... The Food Bank is closed November 24-25 and Dec. 23-26. Check Out Hunger will continue through Dec. 31.