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Dozens of area grocers are helping Check Out Hunger this holiday season

Dozens of area grocers are helping Check Out Hunger this holiday season

November 11, 2014

16th annual holiday campaign for Ozarks Food Harvest runs Nov. 15 – Dec. 31

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Eighty southwest Missouri grocery stores are teaming up with Ozarks Food Harvest to help Check Out Hunger across 28 counties during the 16th annual retail fundraiser, Nov. 15 through Dec. 31.

Check Out Hunger gives shoppers the opportunity to add a $1, $3 or $5 tax-free donation to their grocery bill when checking out at area retailers, including Akin’s, Bistro Market, Cash Saver, Country Mart, Dillons, Harter House, Hy-Vee, Murfin’s Market, Pennington’s, Price Cutter, Price Cutter Plus, Ramey, Rhodes Family Price Chopper, Richards Supermarket, Smitty’s, Summer Fresh, Town & Country and Woods Supermarket.

Shoppers will find Check Out Hunger signs 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 an “apple” for display. The tax-free gift is added to the bill and appears on the receipt.

The Food Bank serves 260,000 unduplicated individuals annually through 200 partner pantries and emergency food assistance sites it serves, in addition to OFH’s own direct-service programs. According to food bank officials, that’s one in four southwest Missouri residents who access food from OFH’s network.

The 2013 fundraiser collected $36,515—the equivalent of 182,500 meals. Since 1998, the holiday campaign has collected $271,000 in donations—the equivalent of nearly 1.4 million meals.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 200 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes 12.5 million meals—or more than 15 million pounds—annually to more than 260,000 unduplicated individuals. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.