Media

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Governor Matt Blunt and Missouri Speaker of the House Rod Jetton were two speakers among several who praised 280 attendees – at Ozarks Food Harvest’s annual regional agency relations conference at the Clarion Hotel yesterday – for their hunger relief efforts in southwest Missouri.

The conference, titled “Delivering Hope,” featured sessions to help those who work on the front lines of hunger relief learn more about hunger and poverty issues, advocacy, federal nutrition programs and social welfare in Missouri.

Ozarks Food Harvest wrapped up its conference with a demonstration of its newest project, the Mobile Food Pantry, by distributing product to all agency representatives who were in attendance.

“We showed our network of agencies how our Mobile Food Pantry works in hopes that they would encourage organizations in their own communities to sponsor a Mobile Food Pantry Day for those in need,” Jan Tucker, Agency Relations Director, said.

The Mobile Food Pantry is a cooperative project of area Rotary Clubs, Ridewell Suspensions and Ozarks Food Harvest. It distributes food and supplies directly to individuals in need throughout the 29 counties served by the food bank. In 2007, the Mobile Food Pantry has distributed more than 90 tons of food to more than 5,000 individuals.

Ozarks Food Harvest is the America’s Second Harvest affiliate food bank for Southwest Missouri. The Food Bank distributes more than four million pounds of food annually to its network of more than 300 hunger relief agencies across 29 Ozarks counties.  Ozarks Food Harvest also offers direct relief through its Kids Cafe^®, Food for Thought^TM, Club F.U.N.^TM and Mobile Food Pantry^TM programs.

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To learn more, contact Lindsey Neddenriep at (417) 865-3411.