Dillon Stores donates $250,000 for OFH Joplin relief
Local employees raced to fill backpacks for Joplin children
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Dillon Stores presented $250,000 to Ozarks Food Harvest at 1:00 p.m. today at The Food Bank’s facility in North Springfield. The major gift is designated for long-term relief efforts in Joplin.
Local Dillon Store managers, employees and visiting corporate staff raced to pack food bags for The Food Bank’s summer Backpack Program in three Joplin schools. The teams competed for “bragging rights” during the Volunteer Challenge for Joplin.
“This is the largest donation we have received for Joplin and one of the largest single gifts Ozarks Food Harvest has ever received,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO at Ozarks Food Harvest. “The funding will help The Food Bank provide support for the long-term sites we serve in Joplin. We are lucky to have an ongoing partnership with our generous friends at Kroger and Dillon Stores.”
Ozarks Food Harvest offers the Weekend Backpack Program during the school year in 30 southwest Missouri schools, including Emerson Elementary in Joplin, which sustained damage. The Food Bank will provide the Backpack Program during the summertime at three sites in Joplin, including McKinley, Stapleton and West Central elementary schools.
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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. The Food Bank reaches 20,000 individuals weekly and distributes nine million pounds of food annually. Ozarks Food Harvest has a 28-year history in southwest Missouri and has had nearly one dozen member food pantries and feeding sites in Joplin, and even more in Jasper County, assisting with Joplin tornado relief for months ahead. Ozarks Food Harvest 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 Dillon Stores
Dillon Stores, headquartered in Hutchinson, KS, is a division of The Kroger Co., one of the nation’s largest retail grocery chains. Dillon Stores operates 91 stores in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska under the Dillons, Baker’s, and Gerbes banners. The company employs over 11,000 associates across its operating area. Dillon Stores is pleased to celebrate its 90th anniversary of proud service in Kansas in 2011. Dillon Stores focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, local schools, and grassroots organizations in the communities it serves. For more information, go to www.dillons.com, www.bakersplus.com or www.gerbes.com.