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Donation will support Ozarks Food Harvest’s newest School Food Pantry in Eminence

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest received a $20,000 grant from The Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation this month as part of the Foundation’s three-year, $1 million grant to Feeding America to support critical child hunger initiatives nationwide. In southwest Missouri, this donation is helping Ozarks Food Harvest open a School Food Pantry in Eminence, Mo.

According to OFH officials, Shannon County has a child food insecurity rate of 26.4 percent, meaning more than 500 children struggle with hunger.

“The nearest pantry for low-income families in Eminence is 20 minutes away, which prevents parents from receiving help when they don’t have the transportation or fuel costs to travel there,” said Denise Gibson, development director at Ozarks Food Harvest.

Gibson says Ozarks Food Harvest is implementing food assistance as soon as next month to serve as a bridge during the summer months when school is not in session.

“We’re kicking off the new School Food Pantry by bringing our Mobile Food Pantry to Eminence in June, July and August,” she said.

Ozarks Food Harvest was one of 89 food bank applicants this year and only 15 awards were made.

“Dunkin’ Brands and its franchisees are committed to serving the basic needs of our communities throughout the country, each and every day. One of the most pressing needs facing our communities is the fight against hunger, particularly childhood hunger,” said Mitch Cohen, a Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisee and co-chair of The DDBRCF. “We are proud to make the largest donation in the Foundation’s history to Feeding America to support this cause, and we look forward to continuing to partner with Feeding America member food banks in 2014 and beyond.”

Ozarks Food Harvest already supports Hillcrest High School’s “Market on the Hill” School Food Pantry, and last month, OFH helped established School Pantries at Central High School (“Bulldog Bites”) and Study Alternative School in Springfield.

The School Pantry Program helps alleviate child hunger in America through the provision of food to children and their families to take home from school.

The $1 million DDBRCF grant, the largest donation in the Foundation’s history, will be distributed among Feeding America member food banks across the U.S. over the next three years. The DDBRCF has partnered with Feeding America at the national level since 2007—and in addition to the most recent grant, has donated more than $1 millionover the past seven years to support Feeding America and its member food banks.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest   The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 200 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes 12 million meals annually to 170,000 unduplicated individuals. OFH celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013 and received its second consecutive Four-Star Charity Navigator rating the same year. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.

About Feeding America
Feeding America is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, the network provides food to more than 37 million people through 61,000 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among those served; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Learn more at feedingamerica.org, facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

About The Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation (DDBRCF)
The mission of The Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation is to serve its neighborhoods by taking care of their basic needs: hunger, children’s health and safety. The DDBRCF brings together a wide network of stakeholders, including franchisees, crew members and employees to serve their local communities. Launched in 2006, The DDBRCF has granted more than $4,500,000 to local charities.