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.
If you’re looking for ways to provide hope for generations to come, consider Ozarks Food Harvest’s planned giving opportunities. A planned gift is a great way to extend your charitable giving beyond your lifetime and leave a legacy of hope.
When times are tough and budgets are tight, nutritious food is often the first thing households sacrifice to make ends meet. But when someone can only afford food with low nutritional value, it can impact their health over time – especially for children and older adults. That’s why Ozarks Food Harvest is piloting a Food is Medicine approach to help seniors maintain a balanced diet.
Currently, one-third of the people served by Ozarks Food Harvest’s network of hunger-relief charities are 65 or older. Many of these seniors live on fixed incomes that limit their access to basic necessities like food.
As adults over age 65 become one of the largest groups served by Ozarks Food Harvest’s hunger-relief network, we’ve made it a priority to ensure they have the food they need – the same way caretaker Bobbi prioritizes the well-being of her client, 87-year-old Charlotte.