For seniors in rural Missouri, greater travel distances make rituals we take for granted, like trips to the grocery store or dinner with friends, a challenge. But the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Region X is making sure seniors in one of Missouri’s most rural areas maintain the healthy and joyful quality of life they’ve earned.
June is Ozarks Food Harvest Month at Community Blood Center of the Ozarks!
Take a break from the heat and help fight food insecurity at the swimming pool this summer!
Jessie Lucero is a prime example of young adults’ desire to get involved where they live. He’s a college student and ROTC member who’s eager to make a difference, but he’s not waiting until he finishes school. He’s impacting his community right now with just a few hours of volunteering each week.
Across Ozarks Food Harvest’s service area, more than 50 percent of households rely on food pantries for at least half of their grocery needs. That kind of need is met in large part through the commitment and compassion in our network of community and faith-based charities. In Lawrence County, St. Susanne’s Food Pantry works diligently to make sure their neighbors don’t go hungry.
For those who meet Cindy McDonough, she’s hard to forget. Her outgoing personality and infectious humor are evident during the volunteer sessions she attends, and it’s clear she’s not afraid to work hard to help her community. The proof is in the number of hours she’s volunteered with Ozarks Food Harvest. As of now, Cindy has given nearly 1,500 hours of her time since 2019. In 2022, she served more time than any other volunteer, with 494 hours in just one year!
Ozarks Food Harvest’s monthly donors play a critical role in meeting the needs of our neighbors facing hunger. While every donation makes an impact, consistent monthly giving through our Harvest Circle Program allows The Food Bank to plan ahead and respond to immediate needs.
In December 2022, Congress passed a spending package that created the most significant nationwide anti-hunger program in nearly 50 years – the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program.
In May 2011, an unforgettable EF5 tornado struck the city of Joplin. With thousands of buildings destroyed and infrastructure impacted, families lost access to housing and crucial resources for weeks. The destruction and devastation caused by the storm was so historic that it garnered national attention. Residents, organizations, and churches stepped up to lend their neighbors a much needed hand, and from the aftermath of the storm, Mission Joplin was founded.
Ozarks Food Harvest will invest nearly $400,000 this year to provide nutritious food to rural families facing hunger thanks to two recent grants from Feeding America and Tyson Foods.