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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Twelve local Wal-Marts are holding food drives from May 1 through May 31 for Ozarks Food Harvest, the only food bank serving 29 Ozarks counties.

Wal-Mart stores in Branson, Branson West, Lebanon, Marshfield, Nixa, Ozark, Republic and Springfield will collect donations of nonperishable food items. Donated food will be distributed to local food pantries by Ozarks Food Harvest or will benefit The Food Bank’s direct service program, Food for Thought.

Food for Thought provides backpacks filled with nutritional non-perishable, easy-open food items for at-risk children to take home for the weekend in a backpack which looks like any other student’s backpack. Twenty-eight elementary schools in Ozarks Food Harvest’s 29 county service area currently participate in the Food for Thought program, benefitting nearly 700 children each week of the school year.

“Wal-Mart is proud to be partnering with Ozarks Food Harvest to make sure the children in our communities have enough to eat.”, said Skip Tinney, Wal-Mart Market Manager for south central Missouri.    “The back program is an innovative and effective way to make sure local children do not go hungry and we encourage the community to participate by donating food at your local Wal-Mart.”

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To learn more, contact Lindsey Neddenriep at (417) 865-3411.