Greetings from the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief!
You may remember I wrote in last summer’s Harvest Time about the need for a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act to be passed by Congress.
Unfortunately, that legislation has yet to be passed more than a year later, and a new provision added by the House would hurt hungry kids.
Over 2,000 volunteers from businesses across the Ozarks came together to help more than 100 nonprofit agencies during this year’s United Way Day of Caring.
FOOD FIGHT 2017 BEGINS JAN. 16. MORE INFO TO COME.
Springfield Public Schools will participate in Food Fight 2016, Ozarks Food Harvest’s 6th annual district-wide Food Fight competition, Sept. 15 – Oct. 31, with a goal of 45,000 pounds.
When Melanie Webb worked at the cafeteria in the Marshfield Public School system, she saw first-hand the benefits children receive when they have enough to eat at school.
However, before the school introduced the standardized lunch cards, Webb watched kids go hungry that were too embarrassed to get the free or reduced lunches.
Ozarks Food Harvest’s Full Circle Gardens Program has provided thousands of pounds of harvested produce from local gardens to families in need so far this season!
A record 80 million pounds of food was collected in support of food banks nationwide during this year’s Stamp Out Hunger.
Hosted annually by the National Association of Letter Carriers, Stamp Out Hunger is the largest single-day food drive.
Boy Scouts across the Ozarks went door-to-door this spring to gather nonperishable food for Ozarks Food Harvest during the 27th annual Scouting for Food.
Together they collected a record 29,745 pounds of food and $442.43 to provide nearly 27,000 meals.
When 14-year-old Maisen arrived at Datema House, an alternative school and group home for teenage boys part of the Missouri Division of Youth Services, he was not excited at first about participating in community service.
“I thought it was going to be terrible,” he shared. “But when we got to Ozarks Food Harvest, it was really fun when I got to find out what we were actually doing — helping feed people.”
Thirty-eight-year-old Amy often worries if she’ll have enough food to feed her kids.
“As a single parent it’s a struggle to provide to my four children,” she shared. “Sometimes it’s more difficult to provide for my kids during the summer months. I just work more to make up for the difference, but that’s hard on my family, too.”
When it comes to hunger relief, I’m proud to say that Ozarks Food Harvest is one of the most effective nonprofits in the nation.
Seeing firsthand how hard the staff and volunteers work to provide food for our struggling neighbors is incredible. And so many of you generously give of your treasure to ensure no one goes hungry.
While I’ve always known of the great work being done here at Ozarks Food Harvest, the leading evaluator of nonprofits nationwide helped make that abundantly clear this June.