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Check Out Hunger campaign starts

Check Out Hunger campaign starts

November 15, 2010

Sixty Ozarks grocers to ask customers to add $1 for Ozarks Food Harvest

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— More than 60 local grocery stores will participate in the annual Check Out Hunger campaign today through Dec. 31, to help feed the more than 14,000 people Ozarks Food Harvest’s network of member charities serves weekly.

Check Out Hunger gives shoppers the opportunity to add a $1 tax-free donation to their grocery bill when checking out at local southwest Missouri supermarkets including Akin’s, Bistro Market, Country Mart, Dillons, Harter House, Murfin’s Market, Price Cutter, Ramey, Smillie’s Market, Smitty’s, Summer Fresh Supermarket and Woods Supermarket.

Shoppers will find displays and scan cards in the check-out lanes at their local grocery stores. When a shopper chooses to add a donation of choice to his or her grocery bill, the cashier simply scans the donation barcode and the donor signs a donor card for display. The donation is added to the bill and appears on the receipt.

“We are honored to partner with Ozarks Food Harvest to help feed the hungry in southwest Missouri over the holidays,” said Bill Smillie, executive director of the Ozark Empire Grocers Association. “Many of our members have been partnering with The Food Bank since the conception of this program. Our primary goal in our industry is to provide safe and quality food to the public, so we feel there’s no better organization to support than Ozarks Food Harvest.”

Nearly 40 communities will participate in Check Out Hunger, including Aurora, Bolivar, Branson, Branson West, Buffalo, Carl Junction, Carthage, Cassville, Clever, Conway, El Dorado Springs, Fair Grove, Forsyth, Granby, Greenfield, Hollister, Joplin, Kimberling City, Lamar, Lebanon, Marionville, Marshfield, Monett, Mt. Vernon, Neosho, Nevada, Nixa, Ozark, Purdy, Republic, Seymour, Springfield, Stockton, Strafford, Waynesville, Webb City, West Plains and Willard.

Check Out Hunger 2010 sponsors and partners include Coby Neill Creative, McCann Printing, Associated Wholesale Grocers, KY3, Clear Channel Radio and Neighbor Newspapers.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the only food bank in southwest Missouri, serving more than 300 hunger relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches more than 14,000 individuals weekly and distributes nearly nine million pounds of food annually—made possible due to its network of charities and direct-relief programs such as the Weekend Backpack Program™, Kids Cafe® and the Mobile Food Pantry™ program. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org and at facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest.