Ameriprise Financial employees strive every day to provide their clients with the best financial advice. Their company values respect for individuals and the communities in which they are a part of. Employees live out this value by donating time as volunteers.
Twice a year, Ameriprise Financial organizes a company-wide National Day of Service to help those in need. In 2016, 14,000 employees participated in this campaign and donated 81,000 hours of time.
Ozarks Food Harvest’s Glean Team had another successful growing season this year.
Thanks to the continued hard work from volunteers, 29,633 pounds of locally-grown produce was harvested. The Plant a Row for the Hungry initiative also brought in 20,916 pounds of fresh produce, leaving the Full Circle Gardens program total at 50,549 pounds this season. Ozarks Food Harvest could not have done it without the help from compassionate volunteers and partners!
When the excitement from the holidays starts to fade, families still continue to struggle with hunger in our community. Unfortunately during this time, food and fund drives start to die down.
As the year is coming to a close, I’ve found myself reflecting on how fortunate we are to be a part of such a compassionate community. This past winter we established Harvest Circle, our group of monthly supporters. I consider these donors to be the heart of The Food Bank.
We rely on their continuous support to sustain us so we can provide 17 million meals each year to the families and seniors who struggle to put food on the table.
Poverty continues to be a challenge for folks who live in our community.
Wages in the Ozarks are much-lower than the national average, and in Springfield, wages are at just 60 percent compared to what people are earning nationally.
It’s heartbreaking to think about the folks in our community who face obstacles securing housing and transportation because of low-wages, causing them to take on debt just to cover the everyday costs of living.
But thankfully, we live in a community who doesn’t turn its back on our neighbors.
Happy Holidays from the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief!
The holiday season presents a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments and challenges of the year, as well as the opportunities that lie ahead.
Ozarks Food Harvest once again had a record distribution year, adding new member agencies, donation partners and growing its programs that serve the community every day of the year.
For seniors who have worked hard their entire lives to get by, retirement can prove to be an even greater burden.
We recently met Elvin at the Least of These food pantry in Christian County. He worked his entire life and even served as a member of our military. But living on a fixed income and only $60 per month in retirement benefits, he and his wife struggle to have enough food.
“If you run into some doctor bills or different things, it’s a real strain on anyone’s budget,” Elvin shared. “I’ve cut down the portions that I consume from time to time, and I’ll do it again if I have to.”
“When I was really young I walked in the kitchen thinking, ‘What’s for breakfast?’ But there was nothing in the cabinets,” Kitiana said. “My mother caught me digging in the cabinets and said, ‘Sorry, we can’t have anything for breakfast, lunch or dinner today.’ So we just snacked a little. It made me feel so hungry. It felt pretty bad.”
Greetings from the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief!
As supporters of Ozarks Food Harvest, we know about the urgent and daily needs of the people in our community who struggle with hunger. It’s heartbreaking and oftentimes unimaginable. For those of us who don’t have to make hard choices between paying for food and other basic necessities, understanding what this might feel like can be difficult.
