Ozarks Food Harvest raises $21,000 during Give Ozarks to feed kids
In just 24 hours, supporters of Ozarks Food Harvest donated $21,163 to fund a program that strives to feed the one in four children in the Ozarks who aren’t sure where their next meal will come from.
The funds were raised during the second annual Give Ozarks on May 3. Hosted by Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Give Ozarks gave over 220 nonprofits the opportunity to collect donations during a 24-hour online fundraiser. In total, over $1.04 million was raised for local charities.
“As we watched the donation ticker climb throughout the day, we were touched by the generosity of our donors,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest. “We are grateful for the hundreds of people who committed to partnering with us to feed kids in our community who are struggling with hunger.”
Nearly 250 individuals and businesses donated to Ozarks Food Harvest during Give Ozarks. Twenty-five percent of those were first time donors to the community’s only food bank.
All funds raised during Give Ozarks will go to ensure kids have food to eat through the Weekend Backpack Program. This initiative gives 1,600 kids in 52 Ozarks schools bags of food to take home over the weekend when school breakfasts and lunches aren’t available. The donations made on May 3, which exceeded the goal of $20,000, will provide 2,645 bags.
“We met one woman out in the community who shared that her son received food through the Backpack Program. She said money was tight, but she wanted to give what she could to fund the program that meant so much to her son and her family,” Brown said. “It is stories like this that make Give Ozarks such an incredible day. A lot of people coming together and giving what they can to make our community a better place for us all.”
Food Bank staff thanks DairiConcepts for its $5,000 match that helped to encourage donations throughout the day, as well as gifts from sponsors Commerce Bank, Vance Chiropractic and Bohannon Auto Services. Support from staff and customers at Legacy Bagelry, Café Cusco, Big Momma’s Coffee and Kingdom Coffee was also very much appreciated.
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About Ozarks Food Harvest — The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving more than 200 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank provides 14 million meals annually to more than 260,000 unduplicated individuals. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.