More Working Families Seek Food Assistance from The Food Bank Amid Perfect Storm
Ozarks Food Harvest is experiencing a higher demand for food assistance than during the height of the pandemic. In the past six months, we’ve served an average 60,000 individuals each month; 10,000 more than during the same period in 2020 and 2021. As many working families struggle to get back on their feet, they’ve encountered a perfect storm of increased childcare costs, high housing prices and rising food expenses.
At Ozarks Food Harvest, our goal is to ensure families don’t have to make trade-offs for food during hard times like these. We’re not just providing food; we’re providing hope for a better future. One of our neighbors receiving food from a partner charity said, “I have not had enough money to go around. The pantry food allows me to have more money to buy my medicine and pay for gas. It really helps financially and helps keep us going so we can make it through to the next paycheck.”
There’s still more work to be done, but ensuring we get folks on the road to recovery is our top priority. The Food Bank has responded in the past year by purchasing more than $2 million worth of food and investing $500,000 in grant funds to our hunger-relief network to ensure more food can be distributed as demand continues to rise. We also remain committed to distributing food, door-to-door, absolutely free to our network of charities, so all they have to worry about is how to get food in the hands of families facing hunger.
We’re able to make investments like this in our community because we’re good stewards of every dollar donated from supporters like you. Through thoughtful planning and community partnerships, we’ve been able to become one of the highest rated food banks in the country. We ensure we’re doing the most with the gifts you entrust to us as 96 cents of every dollar you donate goes directly towards food distribution for individuals facing hunger. When you work with Ozarks Food Harvest, you know your dollar is making an impact for your community.
We need your support for the coming months to ensure no one has to worry about when they will have their next meal. Every dollar you donate helps provide $10 worth of groceries to someone experiencing hunger.