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The Food Bank plans to continue investing in the community’s food system to help end hunger

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Ozarks Food Harvest provided 20 million meals in the past year through its network of community and faith-based charities across a third of the state of Missouri. According to the Food Assistance Hunger in the Heartland report Ozarks Food Harvest supplies 7 out of every 10 meals distributed by its network.

From July 2021 to June 2022, The Food Bank invested in their 28 county service area by increasing distribution through their Mobile Food Pantry program drive-thru food pantries and Mobile Produce Pantry They also awarded $1 million in grants to their network to help sustain and expand hunger relief efforts across southwest Missouri.

More than 900,000 meals were distributed through Mobile Food Pantries to help feed more than 50,000 individuals facing hunger across the Ozarks. The Food Bank also spent more than $2.5 million in food purchases half a million more than last fiscal year. In total, Ozarks Food Harvest has distributed more than 23 million pounds of food, including 4.2 million pounds of fresh produce.

“Even as many people return to work, the demand is still high for food assistance in southwest Missouri,” said Tommy Wohlgemuth CFO and COO at SGC Foodservice in Springfield and Ozarks Food Harvest’s outgoing board president. The board recognizes that further investments in our community will be necessary to get families on the road to recovery.

Ozarks Food Harvest’s Retail Pick Up Program had a record-breaking year by rescuing 7 million pounds of edible food from being wasted. The program coordinates pick-ups of food donations like fresh produce, frozen meat, and dairy from more than 140 grocers every week.

“Our work has been more important than ever in the past year as folks continue to deal with increased prices for food.” said Bart Brown, president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest. “We’re in it for the long haul to ensure children, families and seniors don’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from.”

One in 5 children and 1 in 6 adults face hunger in southwest Missouri, meaning they are unsure where their next meal will come from. Through its network of 270 charities, Ozarks Food Harvest serves 50,000 unduplicated children, families and seniors each month.

 

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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.