Media

New partnership with CBCO allows donors to maximize holiday gifts

New partnership with CBCO allows donors to maximize holiday gifts

December 9, 2009

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest can feed more hungry families this holiday season thanks to a new partnership with the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO).

“We are grateful for our friends at the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks who are giving their donors the option of exchanging a holiday participation gift for the opportunity to feed twelve individuals a nutritious meal this winter,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO at Ozarks Food Harvest.

During CBCO’s 15th annual Miracle of Giving Blood Drive, December 14 through January 3, blood donors at CBCO centers in Springfield and Joplin will be given the choice of exchanging their participation gift — a t-shirt or ice scraper — for the opportunity to feed families across the Ozarks instead. For each donor that forgoes their participation gift, CBCO has pledged to make a donation to Ozarks Food Harvest to feed twelve individuals in need.

“We’re very excited to partner with Ozarks Food Harvest for this year’s Miracle of Giving blood drive,” said Don Thomson, executive director at CBCO. “This collaborative effort will give our donors the chance to maximize their gift for friends and neighbors right here in the Ozarks.”

The Miracle of Giving Blood Drive’s option for donors to exchange a gift to help feed 12 individuals will be made available at CBCO Donor Centers in Springfield and Joplin:

Springfield — Campbell Donor Center, 220 W. Plainview Road (corner of Campbell & Plainview)

Springfield — Reser Donor Center, 2230 S. Glenstone Ave. (corner of Glenstone & Seminole)

Joplin — Joplin Donor Center, Northpark Mall, 101 N. Rangeline Road

The staff and board members of Ozarks Food Harvest are also hosting their own blood drive for the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks during and after the press conference on Dec. 10. To schedule a time to give blood at The Food Bank in celebration of this collaboration, call Lindsey Neddenriep at (417) 865-3411.

*Media Note: Bart Brown will be donating blood immediately following the press conference at approximately 10:30 a.m. Cameras are allowed on the CBCO truck, which will be parked directly in front of Ozarks Food Harvest’s main entrance.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest dedicated its larger, more efficient distribution center on Sept. 15, 2009. It is the only food bank in southwest Missouri and serves more than 350 hunger relief organizations, reaching more than 55,000 people each month in 29 Ozarks counties. OFH distributed seven million pounds of food during its last fiscal year — the highest distribution in The Food Bank’s 25-year history — made possible due to its network of charities and direct-relief programs such as the Weekend Backpack Program™, Kids Cafe® and the Mobile Food Pantry™ program. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org.

About CBCO
Donors to Community Blood Center of the Ozarks provide blood and blood products to patients at thirty-seven area hospitals.  Every five minutes, an area patient receives blood that was provided by a CBCO donor.  For more information on how to save area lives, contact CBCO at 1-800-280-5337, or log on to www.cbco.org.