Media

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest’s 12^th annual HUNGERTHON™ fundraising and hunger awareness event held earlier this month just received additional donations, including a truckload of KRAFT Mac ‘n Cheese®, a food drive at local Bank of America branches, plus additional Weekend Backpack Program™ sponsorships from Clear Channel Radio stations and local retailer Just For Him. Smart Chicken and Verizon are also weighing in.

The Food Bank announced the June 4–7 fundraiser raised $121,713, and now with added donations, the total has been bumped up to $151,213. Paul Sheehan of Kraft in Springfield says the product donation has a monetary value of nearly $26,000. An additional $3,500 was collected from Clear Channel Radio stations Alice 95.5, KGBX 105.9, US 97 and 100.5 The Wolf, along with Just For Him.

Bank of America supports Ozarks Food Harvest and Alice 95.5 FM’s radiothon each year by adopting children who participate in The Food Bank’s Weekend Backpack Program™, which provides at-risk kids with a backpack full of nutritious child-friendly foods for them to take home over the weekends. This year, the supporter donated four highly desired St. Louis Cardinals tickets which were used as an on-air incentive to the highest donor during the four-day fundraiser. As HUNGERTHON™ wrapped up on Monday, June 7, Bank of America employees pledged to hold a food drive at all local branches to help The Food Bank even more. The food items collected will be brought to Ozarks Food Harvest’s warehouse to be weighed tomorrow, June 18.

For 12 straight years, Ozarks Food Harvest has partnered with Clear Channel’s Alice 95.5 FM and radio personalities Kevin Howard and Liz Delany for the HUNGERTHON™ radiothon. After learning that The Food Bank is serving three times as many individuals than previously estimated, Alice 95.5’s sister stations — KGBX 105.9, US 97 and 100.5 The Wolf — also stepped up to help Alice’s annual cause.

KGBX’s Woody and Janet in the Mornings with Woody P. Snow and Janet Layne encouraged their listeners to sponsor a Weekend Backpack Program™ child, while 100.5 The Wolf personalities also promoted HUNGERTHON™ and The Food Bank’s Weekend Backpack Program™. US 97 sold concert tickets, donating a portion of the proceeds to Ozarks Food Harvest, and also held a concert ticket raffle with every donation going straight to The Food Bank. US 97 held a remote at a family-friendly block party sponsored by Just For Him retailer in Springfield. Just For Him donated a portion of proceeds to the Weekend Backpack Program™. These efforts combined raised $3,500 for Ozarks Food Harvest.

Smart Chicken will also be making a donation based on sales during the month of June, and local Verizon stores are hosting a food drive through June 27.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the only food bank in southwest Missouri, serving more than350 hunger relief organizations across 29 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches more than 155,000 individuals and distributes nearly nine million pounds of food annually. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org.