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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The Missouri Foundation for Health has awarded Ozarks Food Harvest a $100,000 grant to help feed more individuals in need across 28 southwest Missouri counties.

“This gift from the Missouri Foundation for Health will help us meet our goal of distributing 12 million pounds of food by next year,” said Denise Gibson, development director at Ozarks Food Harvest. “March was a record-breaking month for us. We distributed 1,036,378 lbs. of food items and supplies to our network of more than 300 pantries and feeding sites. We’ve never distributed more than one million pounds in one month before. In order to meet the need, and our goal, we need to distribute at least one million pounds each month through the remainder of our fiscal year.”

The funding will be used for needed warehouse equipment, additional food purchases and distribution expenses, according to Gibson.

The Missouri Foundation for Health granted Ozarks Food Harvest a total of $200,000 in funding between 2008 and 2010. In 2007, the foundation awarded Ozarks Food Harvest $30,000 in emergency funding for increased demands due to winter ice storms.

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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 20,000 individuals weekly and distributes nine million pounds of food annually. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org and at facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest.

About Missouri Foundation for Health
Established in 2000, MFH is the largest nongovernmental funder of community health activities in Missouri. MFH is in its eighth year of grant making, having issued nearly $400 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to improving the health of uninsured, underinsured and underserved residents in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.  For more information, visit www.mffh.org.