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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Ozarks Food Harvest is asking community members to help provide 2,024 meals in 2024 by participating in their Resolve to Get Involved volunteer campaign.

Volunteer registrations tend to drop in the first quarter of the year, so The Food Bank is asking community members to volunteer six times between January and March to help the 1 in 7 children and adults facing hunger in southwest Missouri. Ozarks Food Harvest’s volunteers are vital to their success as they help process more than 100,000 pounds of food every week.

“Hunger is a year-round issue and volunteers play a key role in helping us get food into the hands of families facing hunger,” said Jordan Browning, director of communications at Ozarks Food Harvest. “We’re asking the community for help as more folks continue to struggle with the increased costs of childcare, food and housing.”

Ozarks Food Harvest currently offers 13 volunteer sessions each week at the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief and their partner gardens. Volunteers sort food items, use food safety guidelines for inspection and make product ready for distribution to The Food Bank’s 270 hunger-relief charities.

Volunteers also help build Senior Food Boxes, assemble Weekend Backpack Program food bags, make Hope Notes to go inside food bags, sort seeds for the Full Circle Gardens program and assist with gleaning at partner gardens. During The Food Bank’s last fiscal year, nearly 3,000 volunteers donated more than 29,000 hours of time.

Currently, weekday sessions at The Food Bank are Monday–Friday from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and Monday–Thursday from 1–4 p.m. Evening sessions are Tuesday from 6–9 p.m. Weekend sessions are Saturday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1–4 p.m. Seed sorting sessions for the Full Circle Gardens are Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

Those interested in volunteering can apply and schedule sessions online at ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer. All sessions must be pre-scheduled and closed-toe shoes are required. For volunteer program questions, contact volunteer recruitment coordinator Dillon Smith at (417) 865-3411.

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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 faith-based and community charities across a third of Missouri. The Food Bank reaches 70,000 individuals monthly and provides more than 20 million meals annually. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or instagram.com/ozarksfoodharvest.