Media

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— For the eighth consecutive year, the Presley family of Presleys’ Country Jubilee is sponsoring Ozarks Food Harvest’s after-school feeding program, Kids Cafe^®, which feeds 900 children per night, five nights a week in 16 locations across the Ozarks.

“More than 50,000 children in the Ozarks live in poverty, and our children’s programs such as Kids Cafe^® focus on serving these children.  We partner with several local nonprofits to operate the Kids Cafe^® program which provides hot evening meals to Ozarks children who would otherwise go home to an empty dinner plate,” Denise Gibson, Director of Development and Communications, said.

According to Community Outreach Coordinator at Ozarks Food Harvest, Jodi Alcon, the children gain self-esteem through involvement in meal preparation, serving and cleanup. They also learn valuable information about food safety and nutrition they can take with them into adulthood.

“It would not be possible to provide children with year round meals without our partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest,” said Calvin Allen, Springfield Community Center President.

The Presley family of Presley’s Country Jubilee was instrumental in the establishment of a Kids Cafe^® after-school feeding program in Branson in 1999, and the growth of the program has succeeded because of their continued support, according to Gibson.

“The Kids Cafe^® program is important to our family not only because it provides the food these children need to nourish their bodies, but also because it promotes values such as volunteerism, responsibility and respect,” Steve Presley of Presleys’ Country Jubilee said.

As the only food bank for 29 counties in Southwest Missouri, Ozarks Food Harvest serves 16 Kids Cafe^® sites, including:

• Branson Boys & Girls Club
• Cabool YMCA
• Forsyth Boys & Girls Club
• Tiger PAWS in Hurley
• Comingo Boys & Girls Club in Joplin
• Reed Springs Extension
• Shepherd’s Nook in Salem
• Seymour YMCA

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To learn more, contact Lindsey Neddenriep at (417) 865-3411.