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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Kraft Foods has given Ozarks Food Harvest $20,000 to operate its direct relief child feeding programs, Kids Cafe^®, Food for Thought^TM, and Club F.U.N. and the Power of Choice^TM.

The Springfield Kraft location, a long time supporter of The Food Bank, granted the money to help children in Southwest Missouri. More than 50,000 children in the Ozarks live in poverty, and The Food Bank’s children’s programs focus on serving these kids.

The Food Bank’s Food for Thought^TM program provides the most severely at-risk children a backpack filled with nutritious, child-friendly foods to take home on weekends, when they might otherwise go hungry. This program doubled in one year from eight schools to 17 schools within Ozarks Food Harvest’s 35 county service area.

Ozarks Food Harvest partners with several local nonprofits to operate its Kids Cafe^® program at 16 locations across Southwest Missouri.  The goal is to provide children who live in food insecure households a hot, nutritious evening meal in a safe environment, while providing them with nutrition education and opportunities to socialize with peers.

Club F.U.N. and the Power of Choice^TM children’s nutrition education programs at the Kids Cafe^® locations treat and prevent obesity in the Ozarks by providing low-income or at-risk children nutrition and fitness education, and giving them the knowledge they need to make informed health choices.

“We’re so grateful for our partnership with Kraft Foods, and for their commitment to childhood hunger relief that is demonstrated by this generous contribution to our organization,” Bart Brown, Executive Director, said.

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To learn more, contact Lindsey Neddenriep at (417) 865-3411.