This year’s Hunger Action Month was one of the best yet. We had more outreach and fundraising events than ever before, and you really stepped up to help Ozarks Food Harvest.
Our friends at iHeartMedia did an incredible job with Hungerthon, new to 105.9 KGBX this year. It was certainly a highlight of Hunger Action Month. Over $125,000 was raised for the Weekend Backpack Program to give area children food over the weekend when school lunches aren’t available and they might otherwise go hungry. Over the four day ratio-thon, I watched Kevin and Liz put in long hours sharing with listeners exactly why it is so crucial that they donate to this program.
It’s partners like this that make raising awareness of the issue of hunger possible. At Ozarks Food Harvest, we work every day to feed people across 28 Missouri counties, and community support is imperative to be able to grow much-needed food assistance programs.
Ozarks Food Harvest is partnering with Panera Bread for Empty Bowls 2015. The annual event, set for Sept. 25, raises awareness of hunger in southwest Missouri.
For a donation to OFH, event-goers receive soup, a baguette and art to take home. The creations, ranging from pottery to carved wood, are meant to serve as a reminder of the thousands of “empty bowls” found on dinner tables across the Ozarks each night.
More than 250 people give blood in the Ozarks daily, and while every donation helps someone in need, a new program from the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks allows blood donors to make an even greater impact.
LifePoints Lift awards points to people every time they give blood. Those points, which have a cash value, can then be donated to one of ten LifePoints Lift partner agencies, including Ozarks Food Harvest.
Arvest Bank collected nonperishable food items and monetary gifts for Ozarks Food Harvest during its fourth annual bank-wide 1 Million Meals campaign during September and November.
Banks in the Springfield and Nixa area collected 1,434 pounds of food and $4,484, while the Joplin-area banks donated 1,825 pounds and $8,565. This adds up to more than 68,000 meals.
This year’s Hunger Action Month was one of the best yet. We had more outreach and fundraising events than ever before, and you really stepped up to help Ozarks Food Harvest.
