The Retail Pick-Up Program is important for the movement to end hunger, because there’s enough food for everyone when we work together to reduce food waste. But the success of the program requires coordination and helping hands to make it work. At Christian Action Ministries (CAM) – an Ozarks Food Harvest partner pantry – those helping hands are generous volunteers.
In the past year, Ozarks Food Harvest provided more than 23 million meals to children, families and seniors facing hunger across southwest Missouri through its network of faith-based and community charities.
Over the last year, Ozarks Food Harvest provided 23 million meals through our network of faith-based and community charities across southwest Missouri.
Over the past 15 years, perishable products have grown to make up almost two-thirds of the food Ozarks Food Harvest distributes annually. These include foods like dairy, fresh and frozen produce, meat, non-meat protein items like eggs and beans, and other foods that are fresh or refrigerated. Fresh fruits and vegetables alone now account for 20% of the food we provide for our neighbors facing hunger.
Imagine a semi-truck filled with meat, fruits, vegetables, canned goods and bread. Now, instead of that perfectly usable food filling your pantry, picture it sitting in a landfill. It’s hard to fathom, especially as 1 in 5 children and 1 in 6 adults in southwest Missouri experience food insecurity. With so much edible food being thrown away, no one should have to wonder where their next meal will come from.
Greetings from the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief!
Each year, Americans throw away billions of pounds of food. Up to 40 percent of all food grown, processed and transported in the U.S. will never be consumed.
With one in four people in the Ozarks accessing food assistance, it’s hard to understand how so many people can be hungry, yet so much perfectly edible food is never ending up on dinner plates.
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.