The coronavirus has innovated the way we help our communities. Stamp Out Hunger, the largest national one-day food drive, has moved online this year. Instead of food, this drive is collecting funds to help stamp out hunger nationwide.
The McCarty Senior Center was established in 1999 to help people in Wheatland get the help they needed when times got tough, thanks to a generous contribution from Ward McCarty to the senior citizens of Hickory County.
Kevin Richardson moved back to Springfield to teach, but the coronavirus interrupted his plans, leaving him without a job. Fortunately, Kevin was able to find temporary employment at The Food Bank. While everything had not gone according to plan, he did not let that stop him from being open to new opportunities. After working with us for a few months, Kevin accepted a position as a volunteer coach.
Taste of SoMo, Springfield’s premiere culinary event, has always celebrated local restaurants, good food and community. That will not change in 2020. The format, however, will.
While addressing the immediate, urgent needs of our 28-county service area, Ozarks Food Harvest is also looking toward the future and the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
Since its opening in 1998, The Help Center has continuously grown. The pantry started in a church basement and now services about 950 families each month.
In March, we made the difficult decision to suspend volunteer sessions until further notice. Thanks to a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health, we were able to hire 30 temporary employees through Penmac Staffing. All of these Hunger Heroes were displaced from their previous jobs due to COVID-19, and they have served The Food Bank with so much compassion over the past few months.
Walmart and Sam’s Club stores are supporting local food banks in the midst of COVID-19 through the annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign through the end of May.
Join The Food Bank for #GivingTuesdayNow, a new global day of giving and unity focused on responding to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.
Right now, more families than ever before are experiencing hunger. Thousands of people in the Ozarks have lost their jobs. Parents are struggling to feed their children without the security of school meals. It’s a time of fear and uncertainty for so many.