Ozarks Food Harvest’s Summer Harvest campaign provides 72,600 meals for children facing hunger
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest wrapped up their Summer Harvest campaign, presented by Paul Mueller Company, and collected enough food and funds to provide more than 72,600 meals for neighbors facing hunger.
The Summer Harvest campaign brings attention to the increase in child hunger when students lose access to free and reduced-price meals from their schools for up to 90 days during summer break. More than 2 out of 3 children served by Ozarks Food Harvest receive free or reduced-price school meals.
Several events contributed to the Summer Harvest campaign such as Splash & Sizzle with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, United Way Day of Caring, LifePoint donations through the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks and more.
“Summer Harvest is so important for the children in our community who don’t know where their next meal will come from,” said Bart Brown, president and CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest. “We’re so thankful for our partners and the generosity of our community for coming together to help families access the food they need.”
In Ozark Food Harvest’s service area, 1 in 4 children face hunger. Ozarks Food Harvest works to end child hunger over the summer through its Mobile Food Pantry program and network of 270 hunger-relief charities. They currently serve 90,000 individuals each month as the need for food assistance increases.
Ozarks Food Harvest 2026 Summer Harvest partners included presenting sponsor Paul Mueller Company, sponsors Mariner Finance and Pinegar Honda, as well as community partners Caliber Collision, Missouri Restaurant Association, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, Tremendicon, United Way Day of Caring and the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks.
For more information, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/summer-harvest-2026.
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About Ozarks Food Harvest — The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 270 faith-based and community charities across a third of Missouri. The Food Bank reaches 90,000 individuals monthly and provides more than 23 million meals annually. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or instagram.com/ozarksfoodharvest.