Today, Cortez Villanueva is in the business of feeding hungry souls. Every Sunday morning, the 47-year-old man can be found in the kitchen at Ozarks Food Harvest member agency Crimson House Ministries stirring pots, baking biscuits and frying meats to feed the homeless who gather around Commercial Street. But 25 years ago, his life revolved around a different hunger game – drugs. Marijuana and crack cocaine were the “food” he was feeding to hungry addicts until he was arrested and sent to prison, serving 17 of a 20-year sentence.
The savory smells coming out of the kitchen at The King’s Pantry in Seymour drew more than a little attention from clients waiting to “shop” for their groceries on a recent Thursday.
Those smells were part of a new program offered by the University of Missouri Extension Service in Webster County. Amber Williams, a nutrition program associate, selects a quick, simple recipe using four or five ingredients — all available to clients at the pantry. Then she whips it up for everyone to taste and smell.
The eighth annual McDonald’s Cans for Coffee food drive collected nearly 20,000 pounds of food for Ozarks Food Harvest.
“Cans for Coffee is not only important to helping provide food to hungry Missourians, but it also draws awareness to the complex issue of hunger in our community,” shared Denise Gibson, OFH development and communication director.
Freeman Kleier’s life has been marked by service to others. First to his country, and now to those struggling with hunger in the Ozarks.
He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1955 at 18 years old. “We went on our senior trip and I went home the next morning to go to Kansas City to be sworn in.”
Twenty-eight Springfield Public Schools and 16 businesses and community partners battled in Ozarks Food Harvest’s fifth annual Food Fight competition, collecting over 36,000 pounds of donations which will provide more than 30,000 meals to hungry children, families and seniors this holiday season.
This year, the food and funds collected were sent directly to Ozarks Food Harvest’s partner food pantries in Greene County, including four SPS school pantries.
When Julie lost her job in college admissions, and her husband went on disability after suffering an injury as a construction worker, eight-year-old Hailey was the most sensitive to the fact that her family was going through a hard time.
“Hailey is the one who watched me going through a huge binder of all our utility bills, credit card and mortgage statements, methodically calling each company to see who could work with us, as our savings dwindled,” Julie shared.
Springfield Public Schools will participate in Ozarks Food Harvest’s 5th annual district-wide Food Fight competition October 12-31, with a goal of 45,000 pounds to beat last year’s total of 39,450 pounds of donations.
Food Fight is a food and fund drive competition among Springfield Public Schools with Partners in Education. The mission ofthe Food Fight competition is to raise hunger awareness across the district and stock community and school pantry shelves for the holiday season.
At Ozarks Food Harvest, we understand the power of a $1 donation. Consider that every dollar donated is stretched to provide $10 worth of food to our neighbors in need.
That’s why we’re thrilled to once again take part in the Walmart Hunger Challenge.
If you’re new to The Food Bank or haven’t heard of this grant, let me tell you more about it. For the past six years, the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program has awarded a grant to Ozarks Food Harvest to provide funding for our agencies. Those agencies then fundraise to receive the grant as a match. For instance, if we select one pantry to receive $5,000, the pantry raises an additional $5,000 to receive the full matching grant.
The second annual Empty Bowls to benefit Ozarks Food Harvest raised over $5,000 to provide 25,000 meals to hungry children, families and seniors in southwest Missouri!
The regional food bank partnered with Panera Bread to offer a bowl handcrafted by a local artist, as well as soup and bread, in exchange for cash donations.
