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Springfield, Mo.— Before you settle in next weekend to watch the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, shake off your winter cabin fever and support a good cause during Dickerson Park Zoo’s third annual ZOOPER Bowl food drive benefiting Ozarks Food Harvest, Saturday, Jan. 25-Sunday, Feb. 2.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily (weather permitting), Dickerson Park Zoo will offer half-priced admission for all children and adults who donate two non-perishable food items during the nine-day ZOOPER Bowl. (Each person receiving the discount must have two food items to donate. Limit one half-price discount per person.)

Suggested donations include

• Canned meats (tuna, chicken, Spam®)
• Peanut butter, jelly
• Canned soups and stews
• Boxed meals (macaroni and cheese, Hamburger Helper® or similar items)
• Pasta and canned spaghetti sauce
• Canned vegetables and fruit

All donations must have a label and cannot be expired, dented or damaged. Glass containers will not be accepted. For a complete list of Ozarks Food Harvest’s most needed food items visit http://ozarksfoodharvest.org/fooddrive.html.

More than 300 pounds of food was collected during the two-day 2013 ZOOPER Bowl food drive (the equivalent of 280 meals). Zoo leaders hope to at least double the collection totals this year, with a considerably longer food drive.

Dickerson Park Zoo is open daily during the winter from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., weather permitting. The zoo is closed if there is ice or snow on the walkways. Regular zoo admission is $9 for adults and teenagers, $6 for children ages 3-12 and $6 for seniors age 60 and older. Children age 2 and younger and Friends of the Zoo members are admitted free. For additional information about zoo events, contact the zoo at 417-864-1800 or visit www.dickersonparkzoo.org.

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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 hunger-relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank distributes more than 13 million pounds, or more than 10 million meals, annually to 170,000 unduplicated individuals. OFH celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013 and received its second consecutive Four-Star Charity Navigator rating the same year.

About the Dickerson Park Zoo
Dickerson Park Zoo is a division of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA).With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.