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McDonald’s of the Ozarks to give away free coffee in exchange for food donations to Ozarks Food Harvest

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — McDonald’s restaurants across the Ozarks are collecting cans for coffee Aug. 29- Sept. 25. Customers who donate one canned item for Ozarks Food Harvest will receive one free McCafe beverage.

This is the ninth year McDonald’s of the Ozarks has asked patrons to bring nonperishable food donations to the front counter or drive-thru window at any local McDonald’s to receive a small coffee. Free beverages include lattes, hot chocolate, McCafe coffee, mochas, iced coffee and pumpkin spice lattes.

“McDonald’s of the Ozarks is proud to support Ozarks Food Harvest for our ninth year as we present Cans for Coffee. This is a great food drive that not only supports our communities and their needs, but brings awareness to food insecurity and how we all can step up and help one another in the Ozarks,” said Andi Hilburn-Vaini, McDonald’s of the Ozarks Co-Op president and local McDonald’s owner-operator.

More than 60 local McDonald’s collect the nonperishable food donations for Ozarks Food Harvest to distribute across its network of more than 200 food pantries and hunger-relief programs in 28 counties.

Since 2008, McDonald’s of the Ozarks has collected more than 201,600 pounds of food — 168,000 meals — from community members through Cans for Coffee.

“Cans for Coffee is a great way to get thousands of people in our community to participate together in one drive. This partnership with McDonald’s of the Ozarks has been invaluable to The Food Bank,” said Denise Gibson, development and communication director at Ozarks Food Harvest. “This fun campaign provides an easy way for people to give back and help the one in six adults and one in four children in our community who struggles with hunger.”

Ozarks Food Harvest requests food donations rich in protein like peanut butter, tuna, salmon and other canned meat. Donations of canned beans, soups and stews, vegetables and fruits are also requested.

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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 200 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank provides 14.6 million meals annually to more than 260,000 unduplicated individuals. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with over 36,000 locations serving approximately 69 million customers in over 100 countries each day. More than 80 percent of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business men and women. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com.