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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest launched their Summer Harvest campaign, presented by Pinegar Honda, this week to help raise awareness and 60,000 meals for child hunger in southwest Missouri.

The Summer Harvest campaign brings attention to the increase in child hunger when students lose access to free and reduced price meals from their schools for up to 90 days during summer break. More than 2 out of 3 children served by Ozarks Food Harvest receive free or reduced price school meals.

“Summer can be very difficult for children when they’re not sure where they will get breakfast or lunch,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest. “With our Summer Harvest campaign, we hope to bridge the food gap so kids can enjoy their summer without worrying about hunger.”

In The Food Bank’s service area, 1 in 5 children face hunger. Ozarks Food Harvest works to end child hunger over the summer through its Summer Food program that provides nearly 34,000 meals each year. The Food Bank also utilizes its Mobile Food Pantry program and network of 270 hunger-relief partners to serve 60,000 individuals each month as the demand for food continues to rise.

The Food Bank has several ways for the community to get involved in their Summer Harvest campaign that runs through September 5. Participants can find more information about the campaign at ozarksfoodharvest.org/hunger-doesnt-take-a-summer-break-2. KPM and Missouri Eye Institute are also serving as campaign sponsors to help raise awareness and funds for child hunger.

• Splash and Sizzle is May 27 – Sept. 4. Participants get free admission to Springfield-Greene County Park Board pools by bringing one canned food donation per person.
• Ozarks Food Harvest Month at Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is June.  Blood donors can donate their LifePoints to Ozarks Food Harvest throughout June and CBCO will make a monetary donation.
• Taste of SoMo with the Downtown Springfield Association is June 24th. Participants can sample southwest Missouri restaurants while Ozarks Food Harvest receives a portion of the proceeds.
• Tremendicon is July 7 – 9. Participants can attend a three-day multimedia creators convention at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center with a portion of proceeds going to Ozarks Food Harvest.
• Lucas Oil Speedway Food Drive is July 22. Donors will receive one free ticket to the races in Wheatland for every four nonperishable food items donated.
• Volunteer with Ozarks Food Harvest at org/how-to-help/volunteer.

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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 hunger-relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches 50,000 individuals monthly and provides more than 20 million meals annually. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest, or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.