Ozarks Food Harvest receives equipment grant to boost food rescue efforts
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Thanks to a grant from Feeding America, Ozarks Food Harvest awarded $50,000 worth of equipment and food safety supplies to provide its hunger-relief organizations the capacity to give more nutritious food to the people who need it most.
The grant purchased commercial freezers, coolers and other supplies. Resources provided by the grant help local food pantries and feeding sites safely rescue more fresh produce from nearby retail stores.
Nonprofits that received refrigeration equipment from the grant include Bread of Life in Marshfield, Crosslines of McDonald County, Helping Hands in Carl Junction, Hickory County C.A.R.E.S. in Wheatland, Lamar Good Samaritan, Monett Community Kitchen, Nevada Community Outreach, People Helping People of Republic and the Southwest Missouri Office on Aging in Marshfield. Additional agencies received supplies to increase their food safety efforts.
“Strengthening our member agencies to serve more hungry Missouri families is part of our mission of Transforming Hunger into Hope,” said Bart Brown, President/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest. “The infrastructure grant from Feeding America will allow pantries and feeding sites to safely store and distribute more of our most needed items, including fresh produce, meats and dairy.”
Through the Retail Pick-Up Program, grocers across the Ozarks donated nearly seven million pounds of food last year, accounting for 40 percent of all donations. Through this program, nearly 70 grocery stores partner with Ozarks Food Harvest member agencies to rescue food before it goes to waste.
Over the past five years, The Food Bank has provided nearly $1.5 million in grants to its member agencies, putting Ozarks Food Harvest in the top 10 food banks in the country in terms of agency support.
To learn more about how Ozarks Food Harvest and its member agencies provide hunger relief in southwest Missouri, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/our-network.
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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.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, serving more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, Feeding America provides more than 3.7 billion meals annually. Learn more at feedingamerica.org, facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.