Media

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Boy Scouts across the Ozarks are going door-to-door this weekend in effort to collect nonperishable food items for Ozarks Food Harvest during the 26^th annual Scouting for Food project.

Grocery sacks will be dropped off in neighborhoods beginning Saturday, March 14, and the drive wraps up on Saturday, March 21 with a one-day, community-wide food drive at eight area Walmart locations.

Community members can either donate in grocery sacks left on their door, or donors can give at a local Walmart on March 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Boy Scouts are volunteering to collect food from shoppers at all Springfield Walmart Supercenter locations, the Joplin Walmart Supercenter on Range Line and Supercenters in Ozark and Webb City.

Most needed items include tuna, peanut butter, beans, boxed or canned meals, rice and pasta, canned vegetables and fruit and cereal.

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

Ozarks Food Harvest will provide the donations to 200 pantries and programs across 28 counties. Last year, Scouting for Food collected nearly 30,000 pounds of food. Local Scouts have collected nearly 150,000 pounds, or 125,000 meals, over the last 10 years.

For more information, contact Ann Wasman at (417) 883-1636 or go to ozarktrailsbsa.org.

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Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 200 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes 13 million meals annually to 260,000 unduplicated individuals. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.

Media contacts:

Lindsey Neddenriep, (417) 865-3411, ext. 110 or 834-5828 (cell)

Ann Wasman, (417) 883-1636, ext. 231 or 619-9759 (cell)