Media

iHeartRadio Springfield hosts 23rd annual Hungerthon radio-thon for Ozarks Food Harvest

September 9, 2021

Hunger Action Month fundraiser aims to collect $200,000 for the Weekend Backpack Program

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Ozarks Food Harvest and iHeartRadio Springfield will kick off the 23rd annual Hungerthon radio-thon Friday morning in hopes of raising $200,000 for The Food Bank’s Weekend Backpack Program. This initiative provides nearly 1,600 local children with six nutritious meals each weekend throughout the school year.

Clint “Girlie” Gerlek, Jennifer “Hemmy” Hemmer and Sarah Green of iHeartRadio will host the four-day Hunger Action Month event from Friday, Sept. 10 through Monday, Sept. 13 asking listeners to help sponsor kids for the Weekend Backpack Program. To listen to Hungerthon, participants can tune in to Alice 95.5, US97, 100.5 The Wolf, 105.9 KGBX or download the iHeartRadio app.

To make a pledge, listeners can call the Hy-Vee Hunger Hotline at 417-890-5429 or donate securely online at ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate/hungerthon.

For a donation of $360, a child will receive a bag with two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, drinks and snacks every weekend of an entire school year. Donors can also sponsor a child for a semester for $180. Those who donate $150 or more will receive a free Hungerthon 2021 commemorative T-shirt that can be picked up outside iHeartMedia.

Ozarks Food Harvest’s Weekend Backpack Program provides nearly 58,000 food bags annually to 62 southwest Missouri schools in 16 counties. In The Food Bank’s service area, 1 in 5 children face hunger, especially on the weekends when school meals aren’t available.

Last year’s event raised more than $250,000 — enough to provide 700 children facing hunger with a food bag every weekend for an entire school year. Since 1999, Hungerthon has raised $2.3 million to provide 1.7 million meals to children in southwest Missouri.

Several local businesses including Air Services All Services, Hy-Vee, and Jersey Mike’s are serving as event sponsors.

To learn more about Hungerthon or to find out more about Hunger Action Month activities, visit
hungeractionmonth.info.
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About Ozarks Food Harvest — The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 270 hunger-relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank provides 22 million meals annually to more than 261,000 unduplicated individuals. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.