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HUNGERTHON supports needy Ozarks children

HUNGERTHON supports needy Ozarks children

June 1, 2010

12th annual radiothon sets goal at $120,000

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest and Alice@95.5 FM will kick off HUNGERTHON™ 2010 Friday morning in hopes of raising $120,000 to support The Food Bank’s Weekend Backpack Program™, which provides severely at-risk children with a backpack filled with nutritious child-friendly foods for them to take home.

Between Friday, June 4, and Monday, June 7, the 12th annual radiothon will be live for nearly 30 hours throughout the weekend.  Last year’s event collected $123,315, or enough to provide more than 400 needy students with six nutritious meals over every weekend of the school year.

This year’s four-day fundraiser comes at a critical time for Ozarks Food Harvest, as The Food Bank is currently serving a record number of clients — 155,000 annually! If met again, the goal of $120,000 will provide these 400 children with backpacks full of food for the 2010–2011 school year. According to The Food Bank, backpacks are given out on Fridays to students on the free and reduced lunch program who oftentimes go without meals on the weekends.

Twenty-eight schools participate in Ozarks Food Harvest’s Weekend Backpack Program™, and already an additional two schools will benefit from the program next year. Approximately 30,000 backpacks were distributed last year, which included meals for two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, two snacks and drinks.

Listeners can call 417-577-7955 or toll free at 1-800-757-9550 to sponsor a child’s backpack for $300 per year or for $150 for a semester. Monthly donations are accepted. Supporters may also make a donation at the event at the historic Tower Theater at Glenstone and Sunshine in Springfield.

A major supporter of HUNGERTHON™ will again be the Springfield Independent Restaurant Association, with many of its members donating both money and food to the event. Plus, community supporters are scheduled to attend throughout the weekend.

As in years past, Kevin Howard and Liz Delany from Alice@95.5 FM will host the four-day community-wide event. Event hours are Friday, 6 am–7 pm; Saturday, 9-3 pm; Sunday, 10–3 pm; and Monday, 6–10 am. For more information about HUNGERTHON™2010, call (417) 865-3411.

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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 350 hunger relief organizations across 29 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributed seven million pounds of food during its last fiscal year—the highest distribution in its 27-year history—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.