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Musgrave Foundation funds The Food Bank’s mobile pantry

Musgrave Foundation funds The Food Bank’s mobile pantry

May 1, 2013

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The Musgrave Foundation is granting $10,000 to provide Ozarks Food Harvest Mobile Food Pantry distributions in northern Greene County (Ash Grove), four in Polk County (Humansville) and three in Webster County (Marshfield).

Ozarks Food Harvest’s Mobile Food Pantry program brings truckloads of food and supplies directly to community members who either do not have access to an OFH-member food pantry, or the closest pantry cannot store perishable items in bulk. Utilizing both an adapted beverage trailer and a donated refrigerated tractor-trailer, The Food Bank’s “pantries on wheels” bring food to families living in poverty and to those needing help for the first time.

“Many people go hungry in communities with limited resources,” said OFH President/CEO Bart Brown. “The Mobile Food Pantry helps fill gaps in emergency food assistance and provides Ozarks families equal access to the food they need.”

The Food Bank reports Polk County has a child food insecurity rate of 28 percent–meaning nearly 2,000 children are in danger of going hungry. Greene County has an overall food insecurity rate of 15.4 percent, while Webster County has a rate of 16.4 percent.

The Mobile Food Pantry will distribute to three food assistance sites serving individuals, families and seniors on multiple dates, including:

  1. Ash Grove Senior Center: March 23, June 25, Oct. 24
  2. Marshfield: May 21, July 23
  3. Humansville School: May 23, June 13, July 11, Aug. 6

Last year, OFH’s Mobile Food Pantry completed nearly 50 distributions in more than 10 counties. Nearly 21,000 people were served more than 440,000 meals, or 530,000 pounds.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 250 nonprofit agencies across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes 10 million meals annually to 170,000 unduplicated individuals. OFH celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2013. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.