Local grocers raise more than $20,000 in Check Out Hunger 2011
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Sixty local grocery stores in nearly 40 communities collected $22,000 during Ozarks Food Harvest’s Check Out Hunger 2011 campaign in November and December to help feed those in need in southwest Missouri.
Check Out Hunger 2011 gives shoppers the opportunity to add a $1 tax-free donation to their bill at local Ozarks grocers including Akin’s, Bistro Market, Country Mart, Dillon Stores, Harter House, Murfin’s Market, Price Cutter, Ramey, Save-A-Lot, Smillie’s, Smitty’s, Summer Fresh and Woods Supermarket.
After receiving the last store’s check, Ozarks Food Harvest announces the combined total is $22,130 collected to help feed those who access hunger relief services across 28 Ozarks counties. For every dollar donated, the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri provides six meals for those in need, or $10 worth of food distribution.
“We are thankful for our local grocer partners who continue to support this campaign year after year,” said Denise Gibson, development director at Ozarks Food Harvest. “Since we started Check Out Hunger, area grocers have helped raise nearly $200,000, but more importantly, they’ve helped to educate our community about the solvable issue of hunger.”
The Food Bank enters each grocery chain into a drawing every year for a $100 gift card prize. The chain or store then awards the top cashier at its store who collected the most donations. This year, Harter House on Republic Road in Springfield was drawn for the prize. The grocer collected $1,000 for Check Out Hunger 2011. The store’s top cashier, Hamilton Lancaster, was surprised with the $100 prize, in her check-out lane, by food bank staff on Wednesday.
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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 300 hunger relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches approximately 80,000 individuals monthly and distributes 12 million pounds of food annually. OFH was named the 2011 Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and its facility, the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief, recently received AIB International food safety certification. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org and at facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest.