Artists and community members came together this September for the most successful Empty Bowls yet. The third annual fundraiser held at Panera Bread raised $7,440, selling all 220 handcrafted bowls donated by nearly 60 local artists.
Greetings from the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief!
You may remember I wrote in last summer’s Harvest Time about the need for a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act to be passed by Congress.
Unfortunately, that legislation has yet to be passed more than a year later, and a new provision added by the House would hurt hungry kids.
Ozarks Food Harvest’s Full Circle Gardens Program has provided thousands of pounds of harvested produce from local gardens to families in need so far this season!
A record 80 million pounds of food was collected in support of food banks nationwide during this year’s Stamp Out Hunger.
Hosted annually by the National Association of Letter Carriers, Stamp Out Hunger is the largest single-day food drive.
Boy Scouts across the Ozarks went door-to-door this spring to gather nonperishable food for Ozarks Food Harvest during the 27th annual Scouting for Food.
Together they collected a record 29,745 pounds of food and $442.43 to provide nearly 27,000 meals.
When 14-year-old Maisen arrived at Datema House, an alternative school and group home for teenage boys part of the Missouri Division of Youth Services, he was not excited at first about participating in community service.
“I thought it was going to be terrible,” he shared. “But when we got to Ozarks Food Harvest, it was really fun when I got to find out what we were actually doing — helping feed people.”
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.”
When it comes to hunger relief, I’m proud to say that Ozarks Food Harvest is one of the most effective nonprofits in the nation.
Seeing firsthand how hard the staff and volunteers work to provide food for our struggling neighbors is incredible. And so many of you generously give of your treasure to ensure no one goes hungry.
While I’ve always known of the great work being done here at Ozarks Food Harvest, the leading evaluator of nonprofits nationwide helped make that abundantly clear this June.
Greetings from the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief!
Our elected state and federal representatives are making decisions every day that affect our way of life and well-being.
As supporters of Ozarks Food Harvest, I believe it is our responsibility to stand up against proposed changes that would make it harder for our neighbors to get the food assistance they desperately need. Access to food should be a right of all Americans.
Walmart’s nationwide Fight Hunger. Spark Change. initiative provided over $17 million to Feeding America food banks across the country. Ozarks Food Harvest was awarded $114,368 to fight hunger right here in the Ozarks.