Media

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— More than 60 local grocery stores will participate in Ozarks Food Harvest’s annual CHECK OUT HUNGER™ campaign — Monday, November 16 through Thursday, December 31 — to help feed  the more than 160,000 Ozarkers living in poverty this holiday season.

CHECK OUT HUNGER™ gives shoppers a chance to add a $1 tax-free donation to their grocery bill when checking-out at local southwest Missouri supermarkets including Akin’s, Country Mart, Dillons, Harter House, Murfin’s Market, Price Cutter, Ramey, Smillie’s Market, Smitty’s, Summer Fresh Supermarket and Woods Supermarket.

According to The Food Bank’s PR & Special Events Coordinator Lindsey Neddenriep, shoppers will find displays and scan cards in the check-out aisles of local hometown grocers in the following communities: Aurora, Bolivar, Branson, Branson West, Buffalo, Carl Junction, Carthage, Cassville, Clever, Conway, El Dorado Springs, Fair Grove, Forsyth, Granby, Greenfield, Greenview, Hollister, Joplin, Kimberling City, Lamar, Lebanon, Marionville, Marshfield, Monett, Mt. Vernon, Neosho, Nevada, Nixa, Ozark, Purdy, Republic, Seymour, Springfield, Stockton, Strafford, Waynesville, Webb City, West Plains and Willard.

Neddenriep says when a shopper chooses to add a $1 tax-free donation to his or her grocery bill, the cashier simply scans the donation slip and the donor has the opportunity to sign a donor card for display. The donation is then added to the bill and appears on the receipt.

“We hope that when families are shopping for their holiday meals this month and again in December, that they can also give generously to help those who are not so fortunate to be shopping for their own turkeys this year,” Neddenriep said. “For every one dollar donated, Ozarks Food Harvest provides ten dollars worth of food items to those who need it most.”

Ozarks Food Harvest Board Member Matt Graif of Graif Design designed the original CHECK OUT HUNGER™ artwork, and McCann Printing donates a portion of the printing costs for the materials each year.

CHECK OUT HUNGER™ typically brings in nearly $20,000 for The Food Bank, Ozarks Food Harvest’s second largest fundraiser after HUNGERTHON™ which occurs each summer in conjunction with Clear Channel’s Alice@95.5 FM.

Clear Channel Communications and KY3, Inc. are the official CHECK OUT HUNGER™ media sponsors. A complete listing of participating locations can be found online at ozarksfoodharvest.org.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest dedicated its larger, more efficient distribution center on Sept. 15, 2009. It is the only food bank in southwest Missouri and serves more than 350 hunger relief organizations, reaching more than 55,000 people each month in 29 Ozarks counties. OFH distributed seven million pounds of food during its last fiscal year—the highest distribution in The Food Bank’s 25-year history—made possible due to its network of charities and direct-relief programs such as the Weekend Backpack Program™, Kids Cafe® and the Mobile Food Pantry™ program. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org.