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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Shoppers have until Dec. 31 to ‘Check Out’ Hunger for Ozarks Food Harvest at participating area grocers including Country Mart, Dillons, Harter House, Murfin’s Market, Price Cutter, Ramey, Smillie’s Market, Smitty’s, Summer Fresh Supermarket and Woods Supermarket.

By adding a $1 tax-free donation in the check-out lane, Ozarkers will help feed five individuals in need this holiday season.

According to The Food Bank, when a shopper chooses to add a $1 donation to his or her grocery bill, the cashier simply scans the donation card and the donor has the opportunity to sign a donor card for display. The donation is then added to the bill and appears on the receipt. For every one dollar donated, Ozarks Food Harvest provides ten dollars worth of food items to those who need it most.

“Our hope is that the giving people across the communities we serve are able to donate an extra dollar when shopping for their holiday meals this season,” Denise Gibson, development director at Ozarks Food Harvest said. “‘Check Out Hunger’ typically brings in nearly $20,000 for The Food Bank, and is our second largest fundraiser, so it is our holiday wish to come close to our goal in these trying times.”

Displays and scan cards can be found in the check-out aisles of local hometown grocers in the following communities: Aurora, Bolivar, Branson, Branson West, Buffalo, Carl Junction, Carthage, Cassville, Clever, Conway, El Dorado Springs, Fair Grove, Forsyth, Granby, Greenfield, Hollister, Joplin, Kimberling City, Lamar, Lebanon, Marionville, Marshfield, Monett, Mt. Vernon, Neosho, Nevada, Nixa, Ozark, Purdy, Republic, Seymour, Springfield, Stockton, Strafford, Waynesville, Webb City, West Plains and Willard.

Ozarks Food Harvest Board Member Matt Graif of Graif Design designed the original CHECK OUT HUNGER™ artwork, and McCann Printing donates a portion of the printing costs for the materials each year.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the only food bank in southwest Missouri and serves more than 350 hunger relief organizations, reaching more than 55,000 people each month in 29 Ozarks counties. OFH distributed seven million pounds of food during its last fiscal year — the highest distribution in The Food Bank’s 25-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.