Media

WHAT:  Springfield and Joplin Arvest Bank branches will present a check to Ozarks Food Harvest from the 1 Million Meals campaign which ran during April and May

WHERE:  Ozarks Food Harvest–The Food Bank, 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65803

WHEN:  10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 16

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Arvest Bank announced last week that its first-ever initiative to fight hunger in the 90 communities it serves exceeded its goal of providing one million meals. President of Arvest Bank, Springfield, Rodney Shepard, will present a check to Ozarks Food Harvest for hunger relief efforts in the Springfield and Joplin area communities.

Locally, Arvest raised enough food and funds to provide more than 40,000 meals to those in need. Arvest Bank branches in the community collected donations from its customers, local residents and Arvest employees through in-branch fundraisers and food drives throughout April and May.

“We are proud to partner with Arvest Bank and its customers to feed our neighbors in need in Springfield and especially in Joplin during this time,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO at Ozarks Food Harvest.

Arvest Bank in the Branson area supported Christian Action Ministries (CAM), an Ozarks Food Harvest member food pantry. CAM will receive food collected in Branson branches as well as a separate check for $1,647.88.

# # #

About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America® food bank for southwest Missouri, serving more than 300 hunger relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches 20,000 individuals weekly and distributes nine million pounds of food annually. Ozarks Food Harvest has a 28-year history in southwest Missouri and has had nearly one dozen member food pantries and feeding sites in Joplin, and even more in Jasper County, assisting with Joplin tornado relief for months ahead. Ozarks Food Harvest was named the 2011 Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org and at facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest.

About Arvest
In 2011, Arvest celebrates its 50th year of providing financial solutions to its customers. Arvest Bank operates more than 230 bank branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas through a network of 16 locally managed banks, each with its own local board of directors and management team. These locations service customers in 90 communities with 12-hour weekday banking at most locations. Arvest also provides a wide range of banking services including loans, deposits, treasury management, asset and wealth management, life insurance, credit cards, mortgage loans and mortgage servicing. Arvest is an equal housing lender and member FDIC.