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OFH offers to area pantries as matching grants to assist with hunger relief in local communities

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Ozarks Food Harvest was presented with a $125,000 gift from the Walmart Foundation today, and the regional food bank for southwest Missouri announced it will offer the donation — in the form of dozens of matching grants — to its network of 250 member food pantries and feeding sites across 28 Missouri counties.

This is the fourth annual gift of this size from the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program that Ozarks Food Harvest has offered to its agencies as the “Walmart Hunger Challenge” matching grant opportunity.

“As the only food bank in our region, we do more than provide food for pantries and hunger relief programs,” said OFH Development Director Denise Gibson. “We offer food safety training and educational tools, warehousing, distribution, food sourcing and more. We’re very proud to offer financial assistance as well. Over the past three years, we’ve awarded more than $300,000, that we’ve received from Walmart, to our member agencies to help meet the demand for emergency food assistance.”

“By providing a dollar-to-dollar match, we’re helping our agencies fundraise in their own communities,” Gibson said. “Pantries’ local supporters like the idea of their donation making double the impact. The matching opportunity from The Food Bank also challenges our member organizations to get out and spread the word about the complex issue of hunger in our area. We’re feeding more people than ever before and this simply wouldn’t be possible without the support from the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program.”

Through the State Giving Program, the Walmart Foundation supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better. The program strives to award grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the U.S.

“The Walmart Foundation is very pleased to be supporting Ozarks Food Harvest, and is committed to helping those in need in the communities where we serve,” said Walmart Market Manager Skip Tinney. “Through this grant, we are hopeful that Missourians will continue to be served by their network of food banks.”

Last year in Missouri, Walmart, Sam’s Club locations and the Walmart Foundation awarded more than $31 million to local organizations.

Ozarks Food Harvest was the first of six food bank in Missouri to grant awards to its partner nonprofits and has been recognized nationally for being a food bank that provides funding to its partners. More than 75 pantries and feeding sites requested funding from The Food Bank’s latest matching grant opportunity in which OFH awarded 50 nonprofits with infrastructure grants totaling $250,000.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 250 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes 10 million meals annually to 170,000 unduplicated individuals. OFH celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2013. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org.

About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better through philanthropic efforts. By operating globally and giving back locally, Walmart is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the communities it serves and make a significant social impact within its core areas of giving: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating, Sustainability, Career Opportunity and Women’s Economic Empowerment. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are leading the fight against hunger in the United States with a $2 billion commitment through 2015. Walmart has donated more than 1 billion meals to those in need across the country. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, go to foundation.walmart.com.