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23rd annual Check Out Hunger campaign for The Food Bank runs through Dec. 31

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — More than 60 local grocers are partnering with Ozarks Food Harvest for the 23rd annual Check Out Hunger campaign to help provide meals for families during the holiday season. The campaign begins Nov. 1 and continues through Dec. 31.

Check Out Hunger allows customers to add a $1, $3 or $5 tax-free donation to their grocery bill when checking out at local retailers. This year, participating grocers include Apple Market, Country Mart, Harter House, Hy-Vee, King Cash Saver, King Food Saver, Price Cutter, Ramey, Rhodes Family Price Chopper, Town & Country Supermarket and Woods Supermarket.

Every dollar raised through Check Out Hunger will help provide $10 worth of groceries to children, families and seniors facing hunger in southwest Missouri.

Participating grocery stores have Check Out Hunger signs at the checkout lanes. When a customer decides to donate to the campaign, the cashier scans the donation barcode and the tax-free gift is added to their grocery bill. The cashier also provides the customer a paper apple to sign and display at the store to show community support for hunger relief.

“The holiday season will be especially tough for families facing hunger this year as we continue to get the community on the road to recovery,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest. “We’re so thankful for our local grocers and their customers who show up every year to support Check Out Hunger.”

Ozarks Food Harvest reaches nearly 30,000 individuals weekly and provides more than 23 million meals annually across its 28-county service area. In southwest Missouri, 1 in 5 children and 1 in 6 adults face hunger, meaning they don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Last year, Ozarks Food Harvest’s Check Out Hunger campaign raised more than $69,000 to help provide nearly 276,000 meals to children, families and seniors in southwest Missouri. Since 1998, the holiday campaign has collected more than $677,000 — providing 3.1 million meals

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About Ozarks Food Harvest — The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 270 hunger-relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank provides 22 million meals annually to more than 261,000 unduplicated individuals. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.