Prime Inc. held its annual Chili Cook-Off and silent auction supporting Ozarks Food Harvest in February.
The 2015 Chili Cook-Off raised $6,000 for those in need, but this year the local trucking company wanted to go beyond that total and help feed even more people in the community.
When area residents enter the front doors of the United Community Help Center in Licking, they are greeted by a large thrift store stocked with furniture, household items and clothes at extremely low prices.
Without the thrift store and a gracious volunteer-based staff, the Help Center would not be possible. The thrift store provides all the funding needed to give emergency assistance to families and to provide commodities from Ozarks Food Harvest.
Ruby Allen grew up understanding the value of working hard — taking care of animals and tending to the garden on her family’s farm in rural Kennett, Missouri.
Today, her hard work continues as she spends many weekdays volunteering to sort food at The Food Bank.
Teressa Faber has worked as the emergency resource manager for the Good Samaritan of the Ozarks in Richland for over eight years. The pantry, which also has a thrift store, serves about 240 families commodities and 400 families bread and produce each month. In the first 10 months of 2015, the pantry served over 18,000 people.
Q: How did you become involved in the pantry?
A: I applied for a part-time cashier position with the Good Samaritan thrift store because I recognized that this organization was sincere about trying to help others. However, I was hired for the manager position and when that happened, I felt that God was directing me and had something he wanted me to do here.Read More
Each month when clients visit the Helping Hands Community Food Pantry, they are given the valuable opportunity to make choices about the food they take home.
Founded in 2009, Helping Hands is a client-choice pantry located in Barry County, where 14.5 percent of the population is food insecure. Its philosophy is to offer clients choices when it comes to food.