News

Bart Brown: Donors share what motivates giving

April 30, 2015 in Bart's Hope Notes Harvest Time Newsletter

At Ozarks Food Harvest, we rely on you to support our mission with your valued donations. We’re grateful that year after year, you choose to continue to show compassion for people struggling with hunger.

While we have heard from some of you personally on why the mission of Transforming Hunger into Hope is so dear to your heart, we wanted to, on a larger scale, ask why you give to The Food Bank. This past fall we asked some of our most loyal and generous donors to participate in our 2014 Donor Survey, which consisted of three questions.

I’d like to share the results of the first question with you, our valued donor. These results provide a great deal of insight into your support.

We asked, “What motivates donors to give to Ozarks Food Harvest?”

  • Hunger awareness in the Ozarks: 38%
  • Have faced hunger or hardship: 19%
  • Volunteer at OFH or partner agencies: 18%
  • Know someone who is food insecure: 16%
  • Compassion for those who are hungry: 8%
  • Religion: 8%
  • Wish to keep dollars local and believe OFH is a good steward of donations: 5%
  • Are financially fortunate or able: 4%

Those who responded to the survey were able to choose more than one factor as it applied to their giving. We were not surprised to learn that nearly 20 percent of you have experienced the struggle of hunger first-hand.

One donor shared, “Hunger is as devastating as being seriously ill, without medication. One feels lost and forgotten.”

Thirty-eight percent of you said you know hunger is a problem in southwest Missouri.

“It hurts me deeply to know of anyone going hungry,” one donor said.

Your generous support is truly at the heart of what we do every day at Ozarks Food Harvest. We’re thankful to have your support.

We recently spoke with an eight-year-old from Humansville who receives assistance from the Weekend Backpack Program. He shared, “Because you are helping, you’re awesome to me. Will you keep providing?”

On behalf of the children, families and seniors served by Ozarks Food Harvest, I will ask the same question: Will you keep providing? Thank you for your support.

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