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Bart Brown: Year-end gifts help families in need

December 14, 2015 in Bart's Hope Notes Harvest Time Newsletter

View More: http://twintownstudios.pass.us/ozark-food-harvestAs we approach the New Year at Ozarks Food Harvest, I am thankful for the loyalty and hard work our donors and volunteers continue to show.

With the help of our large family of supporters, we have accomplished a lot this year.

We saw a dramatic increase in the number of volunteers at The Food Bank and several community events drew first-time donors to help their neighbors in need.

Unfortunately, many children, families and seniors in our community still do not know where their next meal will come from.

Our goal is to give back as much as we can to the 28 counties we serve in southwest Missouri. That’s why we are careful stewards of your generosity, using 96 cents out of every $1 donated for food distribution and services, with only four cents going to administrative and fundraising costs.

We spoke with Cassie, 36, at a recent Mobile Food Pantry. She is the mother of two children who bravely told the story of her family’s struggle: “My kids are not seeing a Christmas this year, but we have hope.”

The assistance Cassie receives ensures her children get the nutritious meals they need.

“The food is a great help to our family,” she said. “For Ozarks Food Harvest to provide food for the people in need is them being a blessing.”

Food Bank staff work hard every day for the families who visit our mobile pantries. We work hard for the seniors who receive a case of healthy food each month. We work hard for the nearly 1,600 children who take home a bag of nutritious food for the weekends.

Thomas, an elementary student from Springfield, recently shared that being hungry makes him upset, but, “getting food from Ozarks Food Harvest made me and my family feel happy because we had something to eat.”

Hearing from children like Thomas and moms like Cassie reaffirms why it is so important to continue fighting against hunger.

Together, we have served 260,000 individuals this year, but the work of The Food Bank continues until we put an end to the heartbreaking issue of hunger.

Hunger is a problem during the holiday season, but hunger will not end with the year.

That is why your year-end contribution is crucial to our success of Transforming Hunger into Hope.  For every $1 donated, we can distribute more than $10 worth of food.

We hope you will consider making a gift to Ozarks Food Harvest this holiday season. Happy Holidays and thank you for all that you do!

Bart Brown is the president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest.

Holiday 2015 Harvest Time