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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The Kraft Foods Foundation recently awarded a $15,000 grant to Ozarks Food Harvest to support hunger relief efforts in southwest Missouri. The gift will help increase capacity and access to food by providing additional funds for fuel, drivers, vehicle maintenance and delivery to rural areas, allowing Ozarks Food Harvest to distribute one million pounds of food monthly to 250 nonprofit member agencies.

“Thousands of our neighbors continue to struggle to make ends meet. Families are facing tough decisions — choosing between paying bills or buying food,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO at Ozarks Food Harvest. “The support from the Kraft Foods Foundation on behalf of the Kraft plant in Springfield will help make a difference for southwest Missouri families and individuals who need assistance more than ever before.”

Kraft Foods and Kraft Foods–Springfield are long-time partners of Ozarks Food Harvest, donating more than 1.3 million pounds of food since 1995. Employees have also donated hundreds of volunteer hours — sorting food at the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief, distributing food from OFH’s Mobile Food Pantry and packing bags for OFH’s Weekend Backpack Program — during the company’s annual worldwide Delicious Difference Week and through regular Make a Delicious Difference Everyday programs.

“The work of Ozarks Food Harvest is critical to helping fight hunger in the 28 Missouri counties it serves. We know they can’t tackle the problem alone, and we’re pleased to partner with them on this important work,” said Todd Sherman, plant manager at Kraft Foods–Springfield. “Kraft Foods and its Foundation have a long history of supporting hunger relief, and we want to do that in the communities where our employees live and work.”

The Kraft Foods Foundation is awarding a total of $300,000 in similar grants across the country through Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger relief organization, in which Ozarks Food Harvest and more than 200 U.S. food banks are a member of. The grants are designed to help end hunger by allowing food banks to build access and capacity, break down barriers and bring more food to families and individuals in need through programs that improve transportation and refrigeration, provide fresh produce and protein to hard-to-reach service areas and more. As the nation’s largest food company, Kraft has partnered with Feeding America for decades to help fight hunger.

Ozarks Food Harvest nominated Kraft Foods–Springfield for the 2011 Corporation of the Year Award given by the Ozarks Region Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and Kraft took home the prestigious honor last year.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 250 hunger relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes 12 million pounds of food annually to 170,000 unduplicated individuals. OFH was named the 2011 Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and its facility, the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief, recently received a Superior AIB International Food Safety Rating. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.

About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, its network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 63,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how to fight hunger locally and across the country, go to feedingamerica.org, facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

Kraft Foods’ Support of Hunger and Healthy Lifestyles
Kraft Foods is taking a stand when it comes to fighting hunger and promoting healthy lifestyles. The company, along with the Kraft Foods Foundation, is addressing food insecurity through an integrated approach to affect lasting change. The company is meeting the immediate needs of the hungry with direct aid through financial contributions and donations of food. Kraft Foods and its Foundation have donated nearly $1 billion in cash and food to organizations since 1990. In the United States alone, Kraft Foods and Kraft Foods Foundation have provided more than one billion servings of food during the past 10 years.