News

Ozarks Food Harvest was excited to celebrate with Central Bank of the Ozarks in December as they reached their 1,000th hour of volunteerism at The Food Bank. At a well-deserved celebration of their achievement last month, Ozarks Food Harvest staff presented Central Bank with their own 1,000-hour apple plaque to be displayed on The Food Bank’s Gift of Time Tree.

Central Bank has been sending employees to Ozarks Food Harvest to volunteer one Tuesday each month for more than seven years and has even sent extra help for emergency sessions and special events. Ashley Reicke, commercial lender trainee who also coordinates volunteerism at Central Bank, shared that as the company approached their 1,000-hour mark, employees even began asking if they could volunteer for an extra session to help reach the milestone. Central Bank employees have now helped provide more than 280,000 meals since 2016.

Ashley shared, “Knowing we’re helping is why we keep coming back. Hearing how many pounds of food we sorted or boxes we packed at the end of each session, that puts what you’re doing in perspective. All you have to do is share a few hours to help feed hundreds of people. And now, we finally get that apple on the tree!”

Ozarks Food Harvest is incredibly grateful for our partnership with Central Bank and the compassionate employees who donate their time to help fight hunger in the Ozarks. Thank you to Central Bank of the Ozarks for standing with us to Transform Hunger into Hope.

If you or your group wants to volunteer at Ozarks Food Harvest, learn more and sign up at ozarksfoodharvest.org/how-to-help/volunteer.