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SGC Foodservice hosts fundraiser, gifts $18,000 to support Weekend Backpack Program

SGC Foodservice hosts fundraiser, gifts $18,000 to support Weekend Backpack Program

December 2, 2015

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— SGC Foodservice delivered a truckload of food to Ozarks Food Harvest, thanks to donations provided by its employees, customers and vendors during the Fill the Truck fundraiser.

Proceeds from the fundraiser were used to purchase child-friendly and shelf-stable food items including cereal, fruit juices and easy-open cans of vegetable soup to support The Food Bank’s Weekend Backpack Program.

“Thanks to the generosity of SGC Foodservice, Ozarks Food Harvest will be able to provide more meals to children on weekends during the school year,” said Denise Gibson, Ozarks Food Harvest development and communication director. “We know that we can’t solve hunger alone, but working together with community partners and local businesses, The Food Bank can make sure that children have the nutritious food they need to come to school ready to learn.”

Since 2003, the Weekend Backpack Program has provided thousands of food insecure children with a bag of food containing six nutritious, balanced and easy-to-open meals for students to take home to ensure they have food over the weekends when school meals are not available. The $18,516 donation from SGC Foodservice will support 2,314 Weekend Backpacks containing nearly 14,000 meals to children in need.

“SGC Foodservice has a proud history of community support. Our team set a goal of filling a truck with food to fill over 2,000 backpacks to support Ozarks Food Harvest as we celebrate our 150th year of business,” said Jeff Tynes, SGC Foodservice president/CEO. “As a foodservice company, we saw this as an opportunity to serve both our community and the youth that make use of this great program.  We want to say thank you to our customers, vendors and dedicated SGC team members for all their hard work to make the Fill the Truck fundraiser a success.”

Ozarks Food Harvest was one of the first food banks in the Feeding America network to establish a Weekend Backpack Program, which is now offered at nearly every food bank in the country. The Food Bank currently provides 56,000 Weekend Backpacks to nearly 1,600 children through the program each year.

To discover more about how the Weekend Backpack Program makes a difference in the lives of hungry children in southwest Missouri, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/backpack.

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About Ozarks Food Harvest–The Food Bank

Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 200 organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes 14 million meals — or more than 16 million pounds — annually to more than 260,000 unduplicated individuals. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or twitter.com/ozksfoodharvest.

About SGC Foodservice
SGC Foodservice (known locally as Springfield Grocer Company) is a leading regional foodservice distributor. Serving customers in eight states, SGC Foodservice is one of Missouri’s largest independent foodservice distribution companies. Originally founded in 1865 to sell provisions in the post-civil war era, SGC Foodservice today offers more than 15,000 products ranging from fresh meat and produce to equipment and cleaning supplies.  The company supplies products to customers that include independent and multi-unit restaurants, healthcare and hospitality entities, government and educational institutions.  The company’s mission is to serve its customers and is represented in its new tagline, “Your Success Delivered”.