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McDonald’s of the Ozarks becomes OFH’s largest non-disaster relief food drive host

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest received the final donations from the fourth annual McDonald’s Cans for Coffee food drive this week, collecting a grand total of 36,650 pounds, making it the largest non-disaster related food drive for southwest Missouri’s Feeding America food bank.

Since 2008, McDonald’s Cans for Coffee has encouraged community members to donate a nonperishable food item at a participating McDonald’s of the Ozarks location. In exchange, donors receive one free small McCafé® drink of their choice. This year’s food drive was held Oct. 31–Nov. 20 at 60 local McDonald’s restaurants.

The food drive more than doubled last year’s total of just over 16,000 pounds, and will be distributed among Ozarks Food Harvest’s network of 300 member food pantries and feeding sites across 28 counties. The drive will provide 28,192 meals for those in need.

Cans for Coffee is the third largest recorded food drive in The Food Bank’s 28-year history, behind disaster relief food drives for victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Joplin tornado earlier this year. KTTS sponsored the Katrina drive which collected 63,730 pounds of food, and Clear Channel Radio hosted the three-day food drive for Joplin which brought in 49,590 pounds. Since May 22, Ozarks Food Harvest has distributed nearly three million pounds of food and supplies to Joplin, valued at nearly $5 million.

“We are grateful for our partnership with McDonald’s of the Ozarks and for all of the patrons who opened their hearts for our hungry neighbors during the holiday season,” said Bart Brown, president and CEO at Ozarks Food Harvest. “In the aftermath of the recession, the new normal for many families is reliance on food banks as a mainstay to make ends meet. The new normal for Ozarks Food Harvest means an increase in demand every month, regardless of the season, so we hope some of the food will reach tables into the beginning of next month when our clients truly need hope for a better y ear.”

In the 28 Missouri counties Ozarks Food Harvest serves, nearly 180,000 people are food insecure—meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from—and one out of every four children face food insecurity, making food drives such as Cans for Coffee all the more important to Ozarkers in need. Ozarks Food Harvest is the only food bank in southwest Missouri and serves 80,000 individuals monthly.

Cans for Coffee has collected more than 86,000 pounds of food for Ozarks Food Harvest over the last four years.

Tyson Foods, Inc. also makes a truckload donation of frozen chicken to Ozarks Food Harvest every year in the name of McDonald’s Cans for Coffee. This year’s donation was nearly 40,000 pounds.

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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 in addition to long-term relief sites in Joplin. The Food Bank reaches 20,000 individuals weekly and distributes one million pounds of food monthly. OFH 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 McDonald’s
McDonald’s USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a varietyof wholesome food made from quality ingredients to more than 26 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local business men and women. Customers can now log online for free at any of the 12,000 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald’s U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit mcdonalds.com, or follow on Twitter (@McDonalds) and Facebook (Facebook.com/McDonalds) for updates on business, promotions and products.