Kathy Vinson enjoyed 50 years of partnership with her husband. It’s been a journey since he passed of learning to make decisions and try new things on her own, and while not always easy, Kathy knew she needed to be around people as part of the healing process. She found her outlet helping end hunger with Ozarks Food Harvest.
To end hunger in the Ozarks, we must invest in the next generation. One in 5 children and 1 in 6 adults face hunger in our community and ending that will take more than a single donation today.
Right here in southwest Missouri, there are thousands of seniors living on fixed incomes who can’t always access nutritious meals. Good nutrition is important at all stages of life, but it’s particularly impactful for adults over age 60. With inflation rising in recent years, Ozarks Food Harvest has taken a closer look at how we can help our elderly neighbors access the food they need to thrive.
When is the last time you tasted a cucumber? What about an orange or an apple? For one home-bound Lamar senior, she couldn’t remember the last time she had tasted fresh produce. After a mistake with her normal home-bound delivery service, she travelled to the senior center one Friday afternoon to get food.
Before the COVID-19 crisis, Mike believed people only cared about you if they wanted something from you. Even when he was short on food and needed help, he wouldn’t ask for it. But during the pandemic, Mike was moved to help his community. He heard about Crosslines and decided to drop off a donation – a decision that led him to comradery, and of course food, that helped him thrive.
Temperatures were below freezing at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) Catholic Church’s monthly food distribution in January. Days like those are hard work for the entirely volunteer-run distribution team, but volunteers say it’s worth it to help their neighbors facing hunger.
At Ozarks Food Harvest, volunteers help us sort, pack and harvest 100,000 pounds of food each week. Just one volunteer can provide more than 300 meals in three hours, and a group afternoon session can ensure hundreds of children have a Weekend Backpack to take home. That’s how our volunteer Amanda realized she cared about ending hunger – because her time makes a big impact at The Food Bank.
What do travel and volunteering have in common? Alex Brozowski from Expedia sums it up like this, “Travel lets us see how, at the end of the day, we all have the same basic needs.” And what need is more basic than food? During Expedia’s Month of Caring in September, employees made the connection by volunteering to pack food at Ozarks Food Harvest.
Lundie Cavazos, center lead at the Montgomery Senior Center, says she has two main concerns when serving seniors: Proper nutrition and good mental health. In a rural town like Buffalo, Missouri, the senior center helps with both through nourishing meals and nourishing community.
Norma Faye Jones was two hours late for Christmas.
Born in the early morning hours of December 26, 82-year-old Norma still jokes, “I used to tell my momma, I said, you know the best gifts always come late.” But the gift of food assistance has always come just in time for Norma.