Media

Funds raised will support The Food Bank’s food pantries and feeding programs in southwest Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — This #GivingTuesday, Ozarks Food Harvest is asking the community to help kick off the charitable giving season by giving back to families facing hunger in southwest Missouri.

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration to encourage support of nonprofit organizations. Following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, this year’s #GivingTuesday will take place on Nov. 27 and encourage people to give back.

Ozarks Food Harvest has set a fundraising goal of $10,000. Community members can support The Food Bank by donating through its website or Facebook fundraiser on Nov. 27. Mercy will be matching donations dollar-for-dollar up to $2,500.

“We’re always amazed at how the community comes together for a day focused solely on generosity and giving back,” said Denise Gibson, development and communication director at Ozarks Food Harvest. “Every gift given to The Food Bank will help make a difference in the life of someone who is struggling with hunger over the holiday season.”

More than 261,000 individuals across 28 counties receive food assistance from Ozarks Food Harvest. Many of these individuals are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal will come from. In southwest Missouri, 1 in 5 children and 1 in 7 adults struggle with food insecurity.

Since 2014, Ozarks Food Harvest has raised more than $32,000 through #GivingTuesday campaigns to help provide nearly 130,000 meals to food insecure families in the Ozarks.

Individuals who are interested in joining Ozarks Food Harvest’s #GivingTuesday fundraiser on Nov. 27 can donate online at ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate or through the organization’s Facebook fundraiser.

For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit givingtuesday.org, facebook.com/GivingTuesday or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.

# # #

About Ozarks Food Harvest — The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, providing food to 270 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties serving 261,000 unduplicated individuals. The Food Bank provides more than 17 million meals annually. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.