Media

Cowboy Classic Pro Rodeo benefits Food Bank

March 18, 2010

16th Annual Rodeo asking attendees to bring nonperishable food items for the community food bank

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Springfield’s annual Cowboy Classic Pro Rodeo is partnering with Ozarks Food Harvest for the fifth straight year to collect food donations on Friday, March 26, and Saturday, March 27, for the only food bank serving 29 southwest Missouri counties.

General admission to the rodeo at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds Indoor Coliseum is $12 for adults — or $6 for children ten and under — plus a nonperishable food donation for Ozarks Food Harvest. Organizers say they hope to collect at least one food item per attendee or approximately 5,000 pounds of food. Attendees who donate one bag of food items at the door will receive a free Ariat® t-shirt, while supplies last.

“We’re happy to partner with the Cowboy Classic Pro Rodeo each year,” said Lindsey Neddenriep, public relations coordinator at Ozarks Food Harvest. “The spring season is a slow time for food drives, so we’re looking forward to this collaborative effort to collect 5,000 pounds of food. It’s a good goal.”

Items in undamaged and unexpired boxes or cans may include canned meat, peanut butter, canned fruit, canned vegetables and boxed meals. Some of Ozarks Food Harvest’s most frequently requested items include light canned fruit, wheat crackers, whole grain cereals, canned dinners and personal hygiene items.

The family-friendly event begins at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. Advance tickets are available at PFI and Price Cutter.

# # #

About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the only food bank in southwest Missouri, serving more than 350 hunger relief organizations across 29 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes seven million pounds of food items and supplies 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.

About The Cowboy Classic Pro Rodeo
The Cowboy Classic Pro Rodeo is sanctioned for world championship points by the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) which sanctions more than 500 rodeos in 41 states each year, paying out millions of dollars in prize money to the winning contestants. Last year’s event drew 250 contestants from 11 states competing for nearly 20,000 in prize money. Cowboy Classic officials say several reigning world champions will compete as well as talented local contestants. Also featured at the rodeo will be professional rodeo clowns, the 2009 Pro Rodeo Announcer of the Year, Danny Newland, plus the award-winning rodeo herd from Hampton Rodeo Co. of Springdale, Ark., including the 2009 World Champion Bucking Stock.