Our partner charities are the frontlines of hunger relief in the Ozarks. They consist of food pantries, senior centers, houses of worship, schools, meal sites, shelters and residential programs who serve our neighbors facing hunger directly. Run by generous and compassionate people, they’re the first faces folks see when they seek help – but they also operate on limited funds and are often led by volunteers, especially smaller organizations in rural towns. They have a lot to juggle to keep our neighbors fed, and most local charities can’t do it on their own.
Nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are essential for our hardworking neighbors right here in Missouri. In fiscal year 2024, more than 655,000 Missourians put food on the table using SNAP benefits each month. This is important to note, especially as Congress is continuing work on the Farm Bill this year.
Nearly half of Missouri grade school students are enrolled in free and reduced-price lunches so they can get consistent and nutritious meals at school – that’s more than 400,000 students. But when school is out for the summer, kids lose access to those meals and families have to fill the gap.
Being a teenager is complicated. They’re figuring out who they are, how they fit in and what it means to be responsible. It’s a lot of pressure for someone who’s never been a teenager before, but imagine trying to figure it out without a safe place or enough food to feel your best.
Hunger doesn’t take a summer break. For families facing hunger, summer is an added challenge as children lose access to the school meals that kept them fed during the school year. Many parents and guardians worry about how they’ll fill the gap for up to three months – and turn to Ozarks Food Harvest’s network for help.
Each month, Ozarks Food Harvest serves 90,000 neighbors across their 28-county service area in southwest Missouri – that wouldn’t be possible without the help of dedicated volunteers.
From rising costs to job changes, neighbors who have never needed food assistance before find themselves facing barriers to putting food on the table. Ozarks Food Harvest is working hard to meet the need by serving 90,000 people each month, and with your help, we can ensure food is one less thing for families to worry about.
The Retail Pick-Up Program is important for the movement to end hunger, because there’s enough food for everyone when we work together to reduce food waste. But the success of the program requires coordination and helping hands to make it work. At Christian Action Ministries (CAM) – an Ozarks Food Harvest partner pantry – those helping hands are generous volunteers.
Sharon is a regular attendee at the Center for Seniors in Neosho, which provides activities, hot lunches and more for older adults in Newton County. It’s a hub of resources and, for Sharon, hope.
I’m proud to share that for the 14th year in a row, Ozarks Food Harvest has received a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, recognizing The Food Bank as one of the most effective hunger-relief charities in the nation. The rating encompasses four categories, including Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, Impact & Results and Leadership & Adaptability. This is particularly meaningful because Charity Navigator is America’s largest and most utilized independent charity evaluator.
