News

Each year, more than 260,000 people receive food assistance through The Food Bank. But that number grew significantly in 2020.

Thousands of people who had never relied on food assistance before suddenly found themselves in line at food pantries and mobile distributions, thanking volunteers, staff members and the National Guard for the much-needed help.

We’re nearly a year into this pandemic, and some of these people have returned to our hunger-relief partners for help again and again. Many of them are still facing reduced hours at work, while others are struggling to pay all of their bills each month. We will be here to help them put food on the table for as long as they need it.

The Food Bank has adapted to the crisis and is working hard to provide as many meals as possible, but we haven’t returned to “business as usual,” and I don’t expect us to for a very long time. It’s going to take many months for our community—and our world—to recover from this turmoil.

As I’ve shared with you before, food banks were created for times just like this. When unprecedented events take place, we’re here to support the community with food at no cost.

Let’s take a look at a few numbers to review 2020. Last year, we hosted 114 Mobile Food Pantries that provided 1.1 million meals and distributed 22 million meals to hunger-relief organizations. That’s an 11 percent increase in meals provided since 2019.

But we didn’t do any of it alone. Foundations, businesses, organizations and so many individuals generously donated their time, funds and food to The Food Bank to help meet the increased need. You allowed us to rise to this moment on a scale we never could have imagined.

Your contributions have helped support people like Michelle, who found help at one of our Mobile Food Pantry distributions.

“This is a blessing, and it came at a good time. I have five kids at home to worry about,” she shared.

Because of you, Michelle and so many others have been able to pay their bills and feed their families. We truly couldn’t do any of this without you.

That being said, we will need your support more than ever in the months ahead, and should you need us, we will be here for you, too.

If you are able to support The Food Bank with a monetary donation, please visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate. Every dollar you donate helps provide $10 worth of groceries to someone experiencing hunger. Thank you for partnering with us!