Food and fun at the YMCA
With a fitness center and child care program, the YMCA is a fun place to be. While it’s good for recreation, the organization also has a mission to help the community get food.
News
Wish families facing hunger a happy Thanksgiving
Make this holiday season extra special by sending a note to families receiving food from our pantry partners. We’re grateful for you, and these families are, too!
#GivingTuesday is December 1
Take a moment to give back in the midst of the holiday season during #GivingTuesday!
Fighting hunger, one box at a time
For the past 11 years, Danny Edwards has dedicated his time to volunteering. Following a career of working with computers, Danny started helping with patient escort at both Mercy and Cox North hospitals in Springfield. After reaching more than 6,000 hours with each hospital, Danny was unable to keep volunteering due to the coronavirus pandemic. He started searching for other opportunities and discovered The Food Bank.
A giving spirit and a tight-knit community
In 1984, compassionate people in Nevada, Missouri, wanted to feed their neighbors who were experiencing hunger. Over time, these individuals noticed other needs—like a lack of employment and educational opportunities—in their community. With goals of feeding and supporting their local neighbors, these generous people created Nevada Community Outreach.
The force behind fund drives
We’re so grateful for all of the organizations, businesses, families and individuals that host fund drives on behalf of Ozarks Food Harvest. Did you know that these partnerships bring in more than $100,000 in donations every year? Fund drives are very important to The Food Bank—and they serve as a simple way to raise funds and awareness for the issue of hunger.
Challenges and successes of the past fiscal year
Ozarks Food Harvest encountered several challenges and successes over the past fiscal year, which ran from July 2019 to July 2020. As we press on through the rest of 2020, I want to take a moment to reflect.
Navigating the new normal
Everyone has been affected by the pandemic in one way or another. Some have lost jobs, others have lost family members and friends. A handful of local businesses have shuttered, and the way we interact socially has changed drastically.
Finding community and making a difference
With a passion for nonprofit work, Cindy Hawdon focuses on giving back. After retiring from a career in commercial insurance, Cindy settled in Springfield and connected with Ozarks Food Harvest to help with a need she saw in the community.
Hope on the horizon
For years, Rick was a healthy, active man with a full life. He worked at the Walmart Auto Care Center in Branson and enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. In late 2018, he left work early one day, feeling a little bit under the weather. He didn’t think much of it and planned to return to work when he felt better.