For 175 years, YMCAs across the country have developed as communities invite them to meet specific needs. In 2008, the Buffalo community made a commitment to focus on health and youth sports, and the Dallas County Area YMCA was created.
Hello from the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief!
Summertime is upon us. Children are enjoying long days spent playing baseball with their friends or swimming in the neighborhood pool. During this sunny, fun-filled season, parents try to keep their pantries and refrigerators stocked with extra meals and snacks for hungry kids.
Hundreds of family relatives—particularly grandparents—become parents the second time around when their children experience difficulties and grandchildren need care. These “grandfamilies” must adapt to an entirely new lifestyle—which includes figuring out how to provide food for a child.
As members of Feeding America, every food bank in the country is required to undergo a comprehensive audit every two to four years. It was Ozarks Food Harvest’s turn this spring. The process is designed to ensure we are checking all the boxes in our contract with Feeding America, and it helps us learn about how we can improve. It also gives us a chance to share our company culture and passion.
When Charley and Trudy Bowen moved to Springfield from Dixon to live closer to their three daughters, they knew they wanted to start volunteering somewhere right away. Since the couple had donated to Ozarks Food Harvest in the past, they decided to try volunteering.
Twelve-year-old Samantha knows what it’s like to be hungry.