October 2019
harvest time
Ozarks Food HArvest – The food BAnk
Newsletter from the o’reilly center for hunger relief
“We are able to give hope to those that may feel like they are at the end or have given up hope.”
Food Pantry Brings Hope to Neighborhood In the small town of Waynesville, MO, working parents trust neighbor Mary to take care of their children while they work long hours. Mary makes sure the kids get to school on time after eating a healthy breakfast. After school, she picks the kids up and cooks dinner for them. In the summertime, Mary cares for the children throughout the day, too. She helps them with homework, plays with them and sometimes even tucks them in to bed when parents work overnight shifts. “We’re like one big family. I have known these families and the kids for a long time,” she shared. Many of these low-income families can’t afford daycare or a babysitter for their children. Without Mary, they could be forced to leave children at home or try to get help from a relative in a nearby town. With rent, car payments, utilities and grocery bills, it’s impossible for these families to afford childcare every month. Mary is currently on disability and doesn’t receive food stamps, so she visits Good Samaritan Food Pantry three times a week to get groceries. “We can walk to the pantry from my sister’s house. Sometimes they serve healthy meals for the kids. They also always give the kids candy
ozarksfoodharvest.org
and special treats,” Mary said. Good Samaritan offers fruits, vegetables, bread and other food for families in need. They also offer emergency clothing and household goods on a regular basis. “We are able to give hope to those that may feel like they are at the end (of their rope) or have given up,” shared Heather Frabel, manager of Good Samaritan. Good Samaritan’s mission statement is “To improve the quality of life for our clients by providing food and emergency services, treating each person with dignity and respect,” and Heather and her staff strive to live that out each and every day. “We serve our clients with compassion and understanding, and we want them to know that we are here to help offer resources to get them headed in the right direction,” Heather said. “They can overcome things and be successful, and they don’t have to give up.” Mary began getting groceries and clothing from Good Samaritan after she was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly 20 years ago. “The staff there is friendly and always so nice,” she shared. “All of my friends go there, too.” Mary has some health issues that prevent her from working, so she still counts on Good
- Heather Frabel, manager of Good Samaritan
Samaritan to help her take care of the children in her neighborhood. She picks up fruits and vegetables, meat and other nutritious foods to prepare for the kids’ dinners throughout the week. On average, Good Samaritan serves 2,600 families each month. The food pantry receives weekly deliveries from Ozarks Food Harvest, distributes USDA commodity food and also offers Senior Food boxes to eligible seniors. In small, rural towns like Waynesville—which has a population of just 5,000 residents—food pantries are absolutely essential for people struggling to make ends meet. Good-paying jobs can be hard to come by, making resources tight for families. Mary is extremely grateful for how Good Samaritan has continued to serve her community over the years. “I would truly be lost without Good Samaritan and how they take care of us,” she said. Thank you for your continued support of Ozarks Food Harvest and our mission of Transforming Hunger into Hope. Thanks to your kindness, someone in the Ozarks will eat today.
21st annual Hungerthon helps support 522 kids through Weekend Backpack Program Ozarks Food Harvest is extremely thankful for each and every individual, foundation and business that contributed during the 21st annual Hungerthon. Last month, The Food Bank and iHeartMedia’s 105.9 KGBX teamed up with the community to raise funds for the Weekend Backpack Program. The four-day radiothon collected $156,564 which will provide 522 children with nutritious meals and snacks every weekend of the school year. Since 1999, hunger heroes have donated more than $2 million through Hungerthon. The Weekend Backpack Program was originally created to provide weekend meals for children in one rural community, but after a short time, other rural schools and even those in
Springfield began asking for assistance, too. The need was much greater than anticipated, so Ozarks Food Harvest immediately increased fundraising efforts for the program in order to provide more meals. Now, this campaign provides funding to help distribute 60,000 bags each year, and each bag contains six nutritious, easy-open meals for children who may otherwise not have enough to eat on the weekends. Thanks to all of our generous Hungerthon donors, children like Harmony know exactly where their next meal is coming from when the weekend rolls around. “I feel happier knowing I won’t be hungry.
My favorite part about the Weekend Backpack Program is the people that support us,” she shared. Kevin Howard and Liz Delany of the Kevin and Liz Show on 105.9 KGBX spent more than 30 hours on-air over the course of four days to help raise money for the Weekend Backpack Program. Special thanks to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., Commerce Bank, CoxHealth, DairiConcepts, Fireworks Supermarket, Fraternal Order of Eagles #3934 Auxiliary, Harter House - Hollister, Kathy Copeland, Kum & Go Charitable Fund, Ron & Lezah Stenger, MassMutual, Musgrave Foundation, Nancy Jester, Peck Insurance & Financial Services, Ron & Janice Penney, SGC Foodservice, Sharla Hubbell and Yahweh’s Place at Cedarville. “Liz and I have been doing this for 21 years and this has been our most successful Hungerthon yet,” said Kevin. “We couldn’t be more proud to be affiliated with Ozarks Food Harvest for all the hard work they do to make sure kids are going to have food to eat on the weekends.”
This year’s Hungerthon raised $156,564 for Ozarks Food Harvest’s Weekend Backpack Program.
Weekend Backpack Program donations are accepted all year long. To make a contribution, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate, and select “Weekend Backpack Program” from the dropdown menu.
Retail Pickup Program Rescues Food and Provides Meals Ozarks Food Harvest partners with more than 120 area retailers to pick up food donations every week throughout the year. Last fiscal year, six million pounds of food were donated from these partners to help provide five million meals to hungry neighbors. Grocery stores donate food for a number of reasons. Close-to-code or out-of-code items with extended use-by dates, discontinued or mislabeled foods, promotional or seasonal items and prepared and perishable items are often donated by retailers. The food is all safe to eat but sometimes does not meet standards for retail sales. The Retail Pickup Program also helps keep food out of the landfill. This fiscal year, The Food Bank’s goal is to save 700 semi-truck loads from being wasted. Donations usually include fresh produce, frozen meat, dairy and other perishable and nonperishable foods. Paper goods and hygiene items are also donated. After Food Bank drivers pick up the products from local stores,
2
volunteers carefully inspect and sort all items before they go out to our hunger relief partners. Donating food and product has big benefits for our partners. Donations are picked up free of charge, and donating food saves retailers from disposal costs. Plus, our partners know their donations are being used to feed families who need a little extra help getting by.
our partnership with Kum & Go stores and rescue even more ready-to-eat, fresh meals,” said Julie Woodiel, Ozarks Food Harvest’s retail donation coordinator. We are incredibly grateful for all of our retail partners! To learn more about these partners and how they serve the community, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/programs/retail-pickup.
The program is constantly growing, but over the past year, Kum & Go has greatly expanded its partnership efforts with The Food Bank. The 43 stores that currently participate in the Retail Pickup Program provide fresh food, including single serving packaged sandwiches and salads. Last fiscal year, Kum & Go stores provided 253,120 meals for senior centers, emergency shelters, food pantries and other hunger-relief partners. Thanks to generous donors like you, The Food Bank was able to purchase a truck that’s used specifically for Kum & Go pickups and drop-offs. “With the addition of a truck designated for a Kum & Go route, we have been able to expand
The Retail Pickup Program helps keep food out of the landfill.
Transforming Hunger into Hope for more than 35 years
Charlie’s
upcoming Events
Corner
Check out Hunger November 1 – December 31
Make a difference during your holiday grocery store trips in November and December. Simply add a $1, $3 or $5 tax-free donation to your bill when checking out at area grocery stores. A list of participating grocers will be available later this month at ozarksfoodharvest.org/events/check-outhunger-2019. Last year’s fundraiser collected $51,260 to provide 205,000 meals to local families.
Charlie O’Reilly
Volunteers carefully sort donated produce in the warehouse.
Building a sustainable food system Building environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly important for the long-term health of our planet, and creating a sustainable food system is a key part of that. Ozarks Food Harvest—and food banks across the country—are constantly doing everything they can to help craft that system and reduce food waste as much as possible. In fact, food banks were originally created to help prevent food waste. Before food banks existed, grocery stores and food producers were throwing perfectly edible food into the garbage because they lacked storage space or weren’t able to get the food out before it expired. Food banks allow food to be stored properly for people to receive later—similar to the way banks store funds for future use. America has more than enough food to feed everyone. But according to a study by Feeding America, nearly half of the food grown, processed and transported in the United States goes to waste. So what is Ozarks Food Harvest doing to reduce food waste in southwest Missouri? The Food Bank strives to keep as much food as possible out of landfills. Perishable donations, such as fruits, vegetables and dairy products, are processed as soon as they arrive in the warehouse. After these items are inspected for quality and packed by volunteers, they are distributed to hunger-relief partners across The Food Bank’s 28-county service area. When families struggling with hunger receive these items, they are perfectly safe to eat—and they aren’t wasting away in a landfill. Food donations that don’t meet Ozarks Food Harvest’s inspection guidelines for food safety
are often donated to area hog farmers. This saves money on livestock feed, so these donations are greatly appreciated by our farm partners. This process is just another way to keep food out of the landfill to build a sustainable food system in the Ozarks. This fiscal year, The Food Bank’s goal is to save 700 semi-truck loads of food from being wasted. Through the Retail Pickup Program, Ozarks Food Harvest coordinates product donation pickups with more than 120 retailers in the area every single week. These donations account for roughly six million pounds that are distributed each year. The food is rescued before it goes to waste and delivered to hunger relief partners to struggling families. Reducing food waste helps us take a big step toward ending hunger in the Ozarks, and your financial support of The Food Bank is essential to reaching this goal and keeping our fleet of trucks on the road. To learn more about food rescue or the Retail Pickup Program, give Bart a call. Thanks for helping us create a sustainable food system in the Ozarks.
Turkey Trot November 28
Get moving on Thanksgiving morning during the 25th annual Turkey Trot. The race begins at 8 a.m. outside of the Springfield Expo Center. Our goal is to provide 25,000 meals for the 25th annual race, so make sure to bring at least five nonperishable food items to donate. Learn more on page 7.
Giving tuesday December 3
After Thanksgiving ends, Black Friday comes and goes and Cyber Monday passes, take a moment to give back to the community during Giving Tuesday. One in five children and one in seven adults in the Ozarks are food insecure, and they need your help to put food on the table this holiday season. If you are interested in serving as a matching sponsor for this campaign, contact Jennifer Sickinger at jsickinger@ozarksfoodharvest.org. To make a donation this #GivingTuesday, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate.
Food Fight January 2020
Springfield Public Schools will partner with Ozarks Food Harvest for the ninth annual Food Fight competition this January. Each year, Food Fight raises awareness of hunger across the school district and stocks community and school pantry shelves after the holiday season ends. Look for more information at ozarksfoodharvest.org this winter.
Reducing food waste is a key to ending hunger in the Ozarks.
Give time, food or funds at ozarksfoodharvest.org
3
The one dollar difference It may not sound like much, but every single dollar makes a difference. At Ozarks Food Harvest, just one dollar helps provide four meals, and 96 cents of every dollar goes directly toward feeding hungry children, families and seniors in the Ozarks. How is it possible to provide so many meals with only one dollar? With our incredible partnerships, we are able to stretch your donation to make the biggest impact possible for people struggling with hunger. We work directly with manufacturers, grocers and retailers across southwest Missouri to acquire food for our hunger relief partners.
Because of these relationships, every dollar donated helps provide five pounds of food. Ozarks Food Harvest recently attained the highest possible rating for the eighth consecutive years from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest evaluator of charities. According to Charity Navigator, only four percent of nonprofits nationwide achieve this standard, making us one of the top performing charities in the nation. With every financial decision we make, our hunger relief partners and the people they serve remain our top priority. Across 28 counties in southwest Missouri, we provide food for 270 pantries, senior centers, emergency shelters, schools and more. This serves 261,000 unduplicated individuals each year. Last fiscal year, we were able to distribute 18.5 million meals in our service area—that’s 1.4 million more meals than the previous year. Your donations allow us to continue our mission of Transforming Hunger into Hope. These funds also enable us to further serve our partners with grants, fresh food donations, mobile food pantries, and so much more. We do this so that people like David have enough food. David works full time and still has difficulty paying bills and supporting his family, but he’s able to get what he needs from one of our pantries in Greene County.
Every dollar donated helps provide meals for struggling families.
“We never have enough food to make it
Bart Brown, President/CEO
Bart’s
Hope Note
through the month,” he shared. “If it wasn’t for the pantries, my children would go hungry the last two weeks of every month.” Giving to Ozarks Food Harvest is an investment you can feel good about. When you support The Food Bank, your funds will be used to help families in need and to change the future of hunger in southwest Missouri. It’s a great time of year to give for the added benefit of tax deductions. You can even make a year-end gift as part of your required minimum distribution from your IRA. If you’re eligible, you can also take advantage of our NAP tax credits. To make a donation today, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate.
Partnerships Fight Hunger and Raise Awareness during Hunger Action Month Hunger Action Month is always an exciting time at The Food Bank, and this year was no exception. Each September, we partner with local businesses and ask them to take action against hunger. Whether they choose to host food drives, donate funds or raise awareness through social media, our partners demonstrate passion for Ozarks Food Harvest’s mission of Transforming Hunger into Hope.
Denise Gibson, Development Director
From
Denise’s Desk
4
This year, The Coffee Ethic, Lindberg’s and Mama Jean’s generously donated proceeds from specific items to Ozarks Food Harvest. 417 Escape Artist, 4 By 4 Brewery, Ascend Dental Design, Bank of Missouri, BookMarx, Central Bank, Culture Flock, Gold Mountain and Springfood Podcast all held food and fund drives in September. Sangha Studio and Chabom Tea & Spices displayed and sold empty bowls on behalf of Ozarks Food Harvest. And University Plaza, A Beautiful Mess, Springfield Public Schools and Wrigley & Theo all raised awareness through social media.
Ozarks Food Harvest also partnered with Kevin & Liz from 105.9 KGBX for the 21st annual Hungerthon, Tea Bar & Bites for the Apron Fashion Show & Silent Auction and Panera on Campbell Ave. for Empty Bowls. These events all raised funds to support The Food Bank’s feeding programs, and we are so grateful for everyone who attended and made a donation. Thank you so much for supporting Ozarks Food Harvest and our partners during this year’s Hunger Action Month. Your donations are sincerely appreciated as we approach the holiday season. We partner with local businesses to raise food, funds and awareness throughout the entire year. If you would like to start a partnership, just give us a call. Thank you again for your continued support of hunger relief in the Ozarks.
Transforming Hunger into Hope for more than 35 years
Special Thanks to these friends of the food bank Walmart’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign raises $185,000 Ozarks Food Harvest will receive an incredible $185,000 from Walmart’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. initiative. This funding will allow The Food Bank to provide 740,000 meals for families in need across 28 counties. Walmart raised more than $26.8 million during this campaign to support Feeding America food banks across the country.
Arvest Million Meals Arvest’s ninth annual Million Meals campaign wrapped up in June. This year, the bank’s customers donated $6,728.29 and 1,379 pounds of food to support hunger relief in southwest Missouri. Heartfelt thanks to those who donated.
Lucas Oil Speedway’s annual food drive collects 6,844 pounds Thank you so much to everyone who came out to the races and supported Ozarks Food Harvest in July. Attendees enjoyed an exhilarating night at the track, and The Food Bank collected 6,844 pounds, which will help provide 5,703 meals. Since the partnership began in 2008, Lucas Oil Speedway has helped collect more than 65,500 pounds of food for The Food Bank, providing over 54,500 meals to those in need.
OZARKS FOOD HARVEST BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Meera Scarrow Mercy Hospital-Springfield–President Tommy Wohlgemuth SGC™ Foodservice–President Elect Brad Crain Arvest Bank of Springfield–Treasurer James Wilson NewStream Enterprises, a subsidiary of SRC Holdings–Secretary Kurt Bain Kraft Heinz TIm Bellanti Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc., Retired Clayton Brown Prime Inc. Tamara de Wild O’Reilly Auto Parts–Past President Mike Pinkston Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. Jill Reynolds Commerce Trust Company Kenny Ross Ross Construction Group Krystal Russell Spectrum Accounting and Payroll Vault
OZARKS FOOD HARVEST STAFF Bart Brown, President/CEO
Walmart’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign helped provide meals for hungry families this year.
Ozarks Health Advocacy Foundation donates $5,000 for Weekend Backpack Program
ADMINISTRATION Cindy Snow, Director of Administration Cindy Boggs, Office Manager Melissa Hicks, Receptionist Terry Keller, Human Resource & Administrative Services Manager Lauren Zachary, Administrative Services Assistant
OHAF recently made a gift of $5,000 to Ozarks Food Harvest to support children who might not get enough to eat on the weekends. The funds will help fill more than 630 bags with 3,816 meals for food insecure children in Springfield and surrounding areas. Since 2000, OHAF has donated nearly $80,000 to support The Food Bank.
DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATION Denise Gibson, Director of Development & Communication Sarah Byrd, Community Engagement Coordinator Jordan Dykstra, Graphic Designer Cassie Hanson, Development & Grants Manager Sara Roelke, Communication Coordinator Micah Rudd, Donor Relations Coordinator Jennifer Sickinger, Community Engagement Manager
Musgrave Foundation helps provide weekend meals for food insecure kids Special thanks to the Musgrave Foundation for its continued support of the Weekend Backpack Program! The Foundation’s gift of $10,000 will ensure kids have enough food to eat at home over the weekends when school meals are not provided. The Musgrave Foundation has been making a difference in the community for more than thirty years. Since 2006, the Foundation has donated more than $500,000 to support Ozarks Food Harvest.
Lucas Oil Speedway’s annual food drive helped provide more than 5,000 meals.
Slusher Foundation gift helps provide weekend meals for kids The Food Bank is thankful for the Slusher Foundation’s gift of $5,000 in support of the Weekend Backpack Program in Taney County. This generous donation will help provide more than 630 bags filled with 3,816 weekend meals. The Slusher Foundation has donated more than $300,000 since 2000 to help provide meals in the Ozarks.
Splash & Sizzle provides 6,170 meals From May through early September, SpringfieldGreene County Park Board offered free admission to several area pools when swimmers donated nonperishable food items. The campaign collected 7,404 pounds, which will help provide 6,170 meals to hungry neighbors.
The Musgrave Foundation’s gift will help ensure children have enough to eat on the weeeknds.
Give time, food or funds at ozarksfoodharvest.org
COMMUNITY RESOURCES Gordon Day, Director of Community Resources Dan Bohannon, Retail Store Donation Coordinator Andrew Magnus, Volunteer Coach Brenda Hesebeck, Volunteer Coach Rob Medlen, Full Circle Gardens Assistant Jeremy Moore, Volunteer Coach Alexa Poindexter, Full Circle Gardens Coordinator Jolene Thompson, Volunteer Manager Aaron Wilde, Volunteer Coach Julie Woodiel, Retail Store Donation Coordinator MEMBER SERVICES Mary Zumwalt, Director of Programs & Member Services Jordan Browning, Comm. Partnerships & Advocacy Coordinator Casey Gunn, Retail Compliance Specialist Heather Haloupek, Child Nutrition Programs Coordinator Kimberly Hansen, CSFP/Senior Box Coordinator Terra Lamb, Agency Capacity Manager Rebecca Moore, Backpack Program Coordinator Jane Terry, Creative Information Specialist Melanie Toler, Member Services Assistant Shada Travis, Agency Support Specialist OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATION Scott Boggs, Director of Operations Teresa Dixon, Warehouse Manager Mike Doubledee, Inventory Manager Mike Hesebeck, Transportation & Warehouse Supervisor Eddie Hicks, Operations/Compliance Coordinator Steve Roberts, Transportation Manager Due to growth and limited space in the newsletter, all warehouse and transportation associates on the Operations team are now listed online at ozarksfoodharvest.org.
5
Victory Garden Provides Fresh Produce to Community Ozarks Food program helps providing fresh and partnering extra produce.
Harvest’s Full Circle Gardens strengthen the community by food to families facing hunger with area gardeners to harvest
One of these community partners is Victory Garden, which has harvested more than 46,000 pounds of vegetables this year for people facing hunger in the Ozarks.
Kris Dreesen has donated more than 2,100 hours of time to Ozarks Food Harvest.
Volunteer creates lifelong friendships while making a difference Twice a week, Kris Dreesen drives in from Fair Grove to spend her mornings sorting food for families facing hunger in the Ozarks. Her story with Ozarks Food Harvest began nearly 10 years ago when she was looking for a place to volunteer regularly. “There are more people needing food than I realized. It makes me feel good knowing fresh food, frozen and canned goods are getting to people that need it,” she shared. In the past, Kris worked at the Developmental Center of the Ozarks. DCO provides services that enable individuals to reach and maintain their optimal level of development. She helped develop homes for people with disabilities. One of Kris’ favorite things about volunteering with Ozarks Food Harvest is the community. She has made many friends over the last decade. In her first days as a volunteer, Kris met Charles Foltz, who gave 3,000 hours to Ozarks Food
Victory Garden is a mission project of Second Baptist Church and is managed by church volunteers. Each week, these volunteers tend to the five-acre garden to help feed the greater Springfield community. Since 2014, Ozarks Food Harvest has partnered with the garden to help provide volunteers for harvesting.
Harvest in his lifetime. Kris, Charles and a few other volunteers used to refer to Ozarks Food Harvest’s old agency shopping room as the “Grocery Store.”
“This partnership really demonstrates how working together allows us to fight hunger faster,” said Alexa Poindexter, Full Circle Gardens coordinator. “The crew here at Victory Garden works so hard to get crops planted and we make sure that they have the support they need to pull it out of the field, distribute it to hungry folks and to keep on planting.”
“When I started to work at the Grocery Store, I met Charles. On the third day I came in the Grocery Store, and Charles said ‘There’s my buddy.’ He called me that ever since. I miss Charles,” she said.
We are so grateful for how Victory Garden helps provide much-needed fresh produce for hungry families in the Ozarks! Sign up to harvest fresh produce with the Glean Team at ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer.
Kris also appreciates the volunteer team and how they serve Ozarks Food Harvest each and every day. “When I walk in the door, I see a lot of friendly, happy faces. That makes my day. Ozarks Food Harvest is doing a wonderful job,” she expressed. We are incredibly grateful Kris and the 2,155 hours of time she has chosen to donate to The Food Bank! To sign up to volunteer, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer. Volunteers regularly harvest produce at Victory Garden.
6 Transform Hunger into Hope by volunteering to help your neighbors in need. Sign up at ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer.
Groups 20+ hours
Individuals 20+ hours
AECI - Engineering Dept. Aldersgate Youth Group - Lee’s Summit Aldersgate Youth Group - Nixa Assemblies of God BKD - Summer Leadership Campbell UMC Faith for Life Chase Card Services Commerce Trust Company DairiConcepts Datema House Disciple Summer Mission Youth Drury University - Service Plunge Evans Family Expedia Group Interns First Christian Church - Neosho First UMC Youth - Mt. Vernon Fort Leonard Wood Greene County Youth Academy Humana International Dehydrated Foods Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church John Deere Reman Leadership Jones Family Jordan Valley Health Center King’s Way UMC Legacy Bank and Trust Missouri State University MO Association of Disabilities Staff MSU Residence Life Optimist International West MO District “Peritoneal Dialysis Packers” at Cox Health QPS Serve Springfield Southern Missouri Women Lawyers Springfield Public Schools Explorers St. John United Church of Christ MSU Student Life United Health Care Wesley UMC
Michelangleo Alfano Brennan Anderson Nicole Anzalone James Blackwell Margaret Blackwell Charley Bowen Trudy Bowen Daniel Breidenstein Eethyn Byerly Karla Carroll Tom Carson Nichole Clark Gale Clithero Sharon Cook Marilyn Corson Jerry Corson Eddie Currier Linda Currier Eileen Deal Gary DeHaven Patricia Devine Cassidy Dill Desiree Dixon Kris Dreesen Arlene Eichler Shawn Evans Sarah Finch Jasper Gain Matthew Garver Doug Gooch Ann Gouge Andrew Greaser Wil Hardiman Cindy Hawdon Madison Hays Fabio Heredia Patti Hudgins Julia Jenkins Samantha Joint
June 1 – August 31, 2019
food drives 10+ Meals June 6 – September 10, 2019
Arvest Bank - Million Meals — 25,062 2 Frys Realty - Can Can Ride — 12,600 TeleTech — 10,378 Taste of Somo — 10,077 Hy-Vee - Feed the Need — 8,659 Pick-n-pull — 7,356 Springfield-Greene County Park Board - Splash and Sizzle — 5,833 Lucas Oil Speedway — 5,603 Stainless Fabrication, Inc. — 4,949 CNH Industrial Reman — 4,493 Holland Walkathon — 3,368 Humana - Springfield Office — 3,118 United States Bartenders Guild - Booze Battle — 1,920 United Way of the Ozarks - Day of Caring — 1,893 Feeding Missouri — 1,879 Fair Play High School — 1,381 Shelter Insurance — 1,135 Federal Offices - Feds Feed Families — 1,133 Wyndham Destinations — 776 Springfield East Jazzercise — 402 Grant Ave. Freewill Baptist Church — 364* Kingsway Freewill Baptist — 347 SPS Explorer — 278 Air Services & All Services — 193* Mercy Central Patient Access — 187 5 Pound Apparel — 165 4x4 Brewing Co. — 118 Sequiota Elementary School — 117 Penmac Staffing Services — 104 Target — 59 Promise Church of Clever — 55 Ozark High School — 50 OCITE — 12
June 1 – August 31, 2019
Kaylee Kappler Harvey Kaylor Donald Landon Linda Lange George Lawrence Loren Limas Stephanie Luhm Amanda Maggard Ann Marsh Rachel McClay Jacob Miles Melvie Mosier Charlene Nelson Kimberly Nimmo Lindsay Peebles Melody Pierson Mike Rodriguez Kendal Romero Deborah Rumpf Alex Sanders Warren Satterfield David Scheckel Alexander Scranton Jeffrey Scranton Ashton Shepard Susan Shockley Elizabeth Skibo Harley Snyder Erin Spieth Logan Steinhour Ruthann Storms Hollis Thomas Amy Viets Marilyn Vinson-McAfee Lona Wait Georgeann Warren Casey Wilhelm Larry Woolf Robert Wullner
*Thank you so much to our ongoing food and fund drive hosts.
Annual Turkey Trot benefits families facing hunger
The 25th annual Turkey Trot takes place this fall. The Springfield-Greene County Park Board will host the 5k walk/run on Thanksgiving Day— with the goal of raising 25,000 meals for hunger relief in the Ozarks.
The annual run attracts more than 7,000 participants each year, and each runner is
encouraged to donate nonperishable food items. Last year’s event collected 13,808 meals, and since 2001, more than 129,000 meals have been provided through Turkey Trot.
run or walk at parkboard.org/turkeytrot.
The event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 28 at the Springfield Expo Center, located at 635 E. St. Louis St. in downtown Springfield. Register to
Want to volunteer to collect food at the Expo Center on the morning of the race? Call or email Jo at jothompson@ozarksfoodharvest.org.
Cash proceeds from the event benefit the Park Board’s Scholarship Fund and the Developmental Center for the Ozarks.
Taste of SoMo food festival helps provide more than 10,000 meals This year’s Taste of SoMo food festival with the Downtown Springfield Association (DSA) brought together more than 25 southwest Missouri restaurants—and helped provide more than 10,000 meals. On June 22, thousands of attendees purchased tickets to sample food from different booths in Park Central Square in Springfield. Event-goers
could also choose to donate tickets to Ozarks Food Harvest. For every three tickets donated, we were able to provide four meals to hungry families. The DSA also partnered with Ozarks Food Harvest for SoMo Restaurant Week from June 16-22 to celebrate local restaurant culture. Participating restaurants offered special lunch,
dinner and dessert menu items and donated partial proceeds to The Food Bank. We’re grateful to all of the restaurants and individuals that participated in this year’s Taste of SoMo event to help us provide more than 10,000 meals.
Share why you support Ozarks Food Harvest on social media. You might encourage someone to become a Hunger Hero!
7
O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave. | P.O. Box 5746 Springfield, MO 65801-5746 (417) 865-3411 ozarksfoodharvest.org
Stay connected
Transforming Hunger into Hope™