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Hungerthon 2013 raises $125,000 for Ozarks Food Harvest

Hungerthon 2013 raises $125,000 for Ozarks Food Harvest

September 9, 2013

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest and Alice 95.5’s 15th annual radio-thon, Hungerthon 2013, wrapped up at 10:30 this morning, collecting a grand total of $125,000 for The Food Bank’s Weekend Backpack Program.  The program provides food insecure children with nutritious, child-friendly food items to take home over the weekends.

Alice 95.5 personalities Kevin Howard and Liz Delany hosted Hungerthon 2013, beginning last Friday morning at 6 a.m. outside of the Historic Tower Theater in Springfield. Those involved spent close to 30 hours since last Friday raising money for Ozarks Food Harvest.

This year’s goal of $125,000 was exceeded, raising $126,000 to provide more than 420 at-risk children across the Ozarks with Weekend Backpack Program food bags.

Several backpacks were matched by community businesses including Glenda Bond of Waddell & Reed Financial Services, Burgess Hasting & Dunlop CPAs, Commerce Bank, Cornerstone Jewelry, Harshman Chiropractic Clinic, The Daily Events, Harter House Supermarkets, Jack Henry & Associates, Nancy Jester, Carol Jones, Kraft Foods Foundation, Kraft Foods Group–Springfield, Kraft Foods–1st Shift Dinners, KPM CPAs, Mercy, Metropolitan National Bank, Gary & Donna Naab, Dr. Papagayo Dentistry, Peck’s Insurance & Financial Services, Springfield Grocer, Taylor Communications, The Vecino Group, The Tal & Rosalie O’Reilly Wooten Family Foundation, Yahweh’s Place of Cedarville, MO and several anonymous donors.

Event sponsors included Family Pharmacy and Sonic. Power Hour sponsors included Coyote’s Adobe Café (Springfield, Nixa and Dockside), Marias, Big Whiskey’s, Parlor 88, Backyard Burgers, Springfield Brewing Company, Millie’s, Air Services, Devo Olive Oil, Fazoli’s, Patton Alley Pub and more.

Forty-two southwest Missouri schools participate in Ozarks Food Harvest’s Backpack Program, which distributes approximately 50,000 backpacks annually. Those bags include meals for two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, two snacks and drinks.

If community members were unable to participate in the community-wide event Sept. 6–9, pledges can still be made at Ozarks Food Harvest this week or securely online at ozarksfoodharvest.org. For a donation of $300, or $25 monthly, a child will receive two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, two snacks, drinks and hygiene items every single weekend of an entire school year. Donors can also sponsor a child for a semester at $150, or 12.50 monthly. For more information, call 417-865-3411.

Last year’s event raised $125,968. Since 1999, more than $1 million has been raised through Hungerthon.

To learn more, go to ozarksfoodharvest.org or alice955.com. Find out more about local Hunger Action Month activities at ozarksfoodharvest.org/HAM13.html.  Radio-thon event photos can be viewed online at alice955.com.

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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 distributes 10 million meals annually to 170,000 unduplicated individuals. OFH celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2013. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.