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30th annual food drive helps provide meals for food insecure families in southwest Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Boy Scouts of the Ozark Trails Council will go door to door this month collecting nonperishable food for the 30th annual Scouting for Food benefitting Ozarks Food Harvest and its network of 270 pantries.

Plastic grocery sacks will be dropped off in neighborhoods in early March, and Scouts will pick them up later in the month. On Saturday, March 23, Scouts will hold a community-wide food drive at several area grocery stores.

David Pomerenke, district executive for the Boys Scouts of America, Ozark Trails Council of Springfield and surrounding areas, believes there are many benefits of Scouts partnering with nonprofits to address local needs. “By gathering food, the Scouts learn that by giving their own time and energy, they can help take care of others in their community,” Pomerenke said.

Donations will also be accepted at the Ozark Trails Council headquarters, 1616 S. Eastgate, and at Ozarks Food Harvest, 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave., throughout the month.

“The Boy Scouts are so enthusiastic about this food drive every year,” said Denise Gibson, Ozarks Food Harvest director of development and communication. “It’s wonderful to partner with a group that’s so passionate about serving others.”

Last year’s drive helped provide 17,000 meals to hungry children, families and seniors. Ozarks Food Harvest will distribute the donations to its network of 270 pantries across 28 counties in southwest Missouri.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest — The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, providing food to 270 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties serving 261,000 unduplicated individuals. The Food Bank provides more than 17 million meals annually. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.