If you, or someone you love, are looking for ways to make a difference for future generations, Ozarks Food Harvest offers planned giving opportunities. A planned gift allows you to extend your charitable giving beyond your lifetime and make a difference for families like Ricky and Natalie’s.
I am thankful for every gift we receive from our generous donors throughout the year. These gifts provide so much more than food – they also give hope to families facing difficult situations. Right now, with the lingering effects of the pandemic on our economy, year-end gifts are more important to hunger relief than ever.
Hunger Action Month is one of the most exciting times of the year at Ozarks Food Harvest. Each September, we work together with local businesses and organizations and ask them to take action against hunger and support the Weekend Backpack Program.
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.
Have you heard of the great opportunity for those who are over age 70 1/2? You are able to make tax-free charitable gifts from your IRA to fulfill your minimum distribution requirement!
IRA tax-free charitable contributions have been a temporary feature of IRAs since 2006, but they have become permanent thanks to a 2015 appropriations bill. Now is a great time to take advantage of this opportunity to avoid being taxed on the minimum distribution requirement placed on those ages 70 1/2 and older.
Here at Ozarks Food Harvest, we rely on monthly supporters to help us provide over 15 million meals each year to our neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet.
This is why we created Harvest Circle, a special community of our dedicated donors who make monthly gifts to provide a steady stream of funds for The Food Bank.
Becoming a member of Harvest Circle is beneficial for donors and The Food Bank. One reason is for the sake of effectiveness. Your monthly commitment helps us plan ahead, budget efficiently and respond to needs.
As a friend of Ozarks Food Harvest, you’re aware of the struggles so many of our neighbors face when it comes to providing food for themselves and their families. You’re also aware that when you give to Ozarks Food Harvest, each $1 is making a huge difference for those in need by providing $10 worth of food distribution and services.
Each fall, my team organizes Hunger Action Month, a 30-day campaign to encourage community members to take action against hunger.
Although the campaign takes a lot of planning and preparation, it makes it all worth it when I see how the community comes together to help its neighbors.
Hungerthon, our largest fundraiser of the year, raised $140,447. It was great to visit with so many long-time supporters of the event who continue to be motivated by our mission to help kids come back to school on Mondays with full stomachs.
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.”
One in four children in the Ozarks may not know where their next meal will come from.
Fortunately, Ozarks Food Harvest is committed to solving this harsh reality.
Because of the incredible support from our donors, we provide kids with food through the Weekend Backpack Program serving 1,600 kids each week in 52 Springfield and rural schools.