Investing More than $258,000 in Our Rural Communities
Ozarks Food Harvest will invest more than $258,000 this year to provide nutritious food to rural families facing hunger thanks to two recent grants from Feeding America and Tyson Foods.
We’re investing in our community because the demand for food continues to be higher than pandemic levels, especially in rural areas of southwest Missouri. To give you an idea, we’re serving more than 70,000 individuals each month – nearly 20,000 more than during the height of the COVID-19 crisis.
Many people are surprised when they hear the demand for food has risen, but a perfect storm of high childcare, housing and food costs continue to make food access more difficult for working families facing hunger across our 28-county service area. For individuals living in rural communities, the effect is even worse as these issues compound on top of lack of access to nutritious food, reliable transportation and job opportunities. These communities, already grappling with adversity, need help to get back on their feet.
That’s why we’re focusing on equitable food access for families living in rural southwest Missouri. Equitable access for us is about working to ensure a family living in a rural area such as Shannon County has the same access to fresh, nutritious food as a family living in Greene County. Ozarks Food Harvest will use these grant funds to bring truckloads of fresh produce and protein every month for the next year to families living in rural areas most affected by hunger.
One of our neighbors, Mary, said, “If it wasn’t for Ozarks Food Harvest, there would be a lot of things like vegetables and fruit that I could not afford to get. I appreciate everything you do.”
The food we provide, and its delivery, will be completely free for our communities and the families living in them. Our charitable partners won’t have to worry about the cost of gas or increased food prices; they will just have to worry about getting food into the hands of families that need it. We’re able to make investments like this in our community because we’re good stewards of every dollar donated from supporters like you.
Thank you to everyone who supports our mission to Transform Hunger into Hope. As demand increases, we will continue to serve as the backbone of charitable food giving in southwest Missouri. Please consider donating today and be a part of our efforts to ensure everyone has a seat — and a meal — at the table.