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McDonald’s Cans for Coffee hopes to pour in thousands of meals for those in need

McDonald’s Cans for Coffee hopes to pour in thousands of meals for those in need

October 15, 2014

McDonald’s of the Ozarks giving away free coffee for donations to OFH for seventh year

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— McDonald’s locations across the Ozarks are collecting “cans for coffee,” Oct. 27 through Nov. 16, offering customers one free small coffee in exchange for a canned good for Ozarks Food Harvest.

This is the seventh consecutive year McDonald’s of the Ozarks have asked patrons to bring nonperishable food donations to the front counter or drive-through window at any local McDonald’s restaurant to receive one small coffee. Free beverages include Mocha, White Chocolate Mocha, Caramel Mocha, Latte, Hot Chocolate, McCafé® Coffee or Iced Coffee.

“Cans for Coffee has become one of the largest annual food drives in our community,” said Denise Gibson, development director at Ozarks Food Harvest. “It really gets people in the giving spirit since it occurs just before the holiday season, and because we’re serving more people than ever, we hope community members will take advantage of this easy way to give back to help us reach our goal.”

Sixty-three local McDonald’s collect the nonperishable food donations, and Ozarks Food Harvest distributes the food across its network of more than 200 food pantries and hunger-relief programs in 28 counties.

Food drive organizers hope to collect at least 30,000 pounds of food, the equivalent of 25,000 meals, to help feed families and seniors in need during the upcoming holiday season.

Ozarks Food Harvest requests food donations rich in protein like canned tuna or peanut butter. Donations of canned soups, beans, vegetables and fruits are also requested.

Last year, nearly 27,000 pounds of food was collected. Since 2008, McDonald’s of the Ozarks has collected more than 140,000 pounds of food — nearly 120,000 meals — from community members through Cans for Coffee.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest   The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 200 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes 12.5 million meals — or more than 15 million pounds — annually to more than 260,000 unduplicated individuals. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.