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Donations are still needed from community members

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— In response to the tornado devastation in Joplin, Ozarks Food Harvest has secured six truckloads of food items and supplies that will be delivered to the affected area this week. Donations are still needed and can be delivered to The Food Bank at 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave. in Springfield. Monetary donations are also requested at this time and can be made securely online at ozarksfoodharvest.org or to OFH, Attn: Joplin Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 5746, Springfield, MO 65801-5746.

The Food Bank is requesting that community members donate easy-open, ready-to-eat nonperishable food items, or canned goods and can openers. Snacks such as crackers and granola bars are needed. There is a demand for all types of personal hygiene items, including diapers, and paper products such as paper plates, eating utensils, paper towels and toilet paper. Cleaning supplies are also accepted. Water bottles are not a priority from donors at this time.

Ozarks Food Harvest is working with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to coordinate additional donation deliveries. Ozarks Food Harvest’s sister food bank in Kansas City, Harvesters, is sending donations directly to Joplin. The food bank in Columbia is delivering donations to Harvesters. The food bank in Cape Girardeau is sending donations to Ozarks Food Harvest.

Ozarks Food Harvest, Harvesters, the Southeast Missouri Food Bank and The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri are four of the six Feeding America® member food banks in Missouri who also belong to the Missouri Food Bank Association (MFBA). MFBA coordinates statewide disaster relief efforts among the food banks in partnership with SEMA and Feeding America®. The Food Bank also says donations are secured from Alabama.

Donations for Joplin relief can be delivered to Ozarks Food Harvest between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. through this week and beyond. (Map: http://ozarksfoodharvest.org/Mapmove.jpg).

“We are working closely with our member agency in Carthage this morning, the Carthage Crisis Center, who has already delivered two truckloads to Joplin,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO at Ozarks Food Harvest. “The Wildwood Baptist Church in Joplin, another partner of ours, is currently serving as a triage. We have yet to reach all member pantries and sites in Joplin.”

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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 300 hunger relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches 20,000 individuals weekly and distributes nine million pounds of food annually. Ozarks Food Harvest was named the 2011 Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org and at facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest.