News

The holiday season is a time to reflect and be thankful. I would like to extend my personal thanks and tell you how grateful I am for the support you show to Ozarks Food Harvest throughout the year. It’s donors like you who make a difference and inspire hope for a better, brighter future for so many people in the Ozarks.

This year, in addition to providing food for 261,000 neighbors experiencing hunger, The Food Bank worked diligently to serve hundreds of families affected by COVID-19 hardships. Because of your support, Ozarks Food Harvest was able to purchase an additional $2.2 million worth of food to ensure food pantries didn’t struggle to keep their shelves stocked during this unprecedented time. The Food Bank has provided a record-breaking 14 million meals since April—that’s $23 million worth of food and funds for hunger-relief organizations. So many families visited food pantries in our network for the first time in their lives this year, and thanks to you, they received the food they needed.

We also hosted more than 75 Mobile Food Pantries, targeting displaced workers and low-income families who rely on their school’s free and reduced meal program. To date, these distributions provided 720,000 meals to assist nearly 42,000 individuals. We will continue to host Mobile Food Pantries in communities across the Ozarks through the new year.

As much as we would all like to leave the pandemic behind in 2020, we will remain dedicated to providing the meals families depend on in 2021. That’s why this holiday season, it’s critical to make your donations to organizations such as Ozarks Food Harvest that can move the needle forward and adapt to the continued crisis we are facing.

Did you know that Ozarks Food Harvest is the largest COVID-19-related donor to charities in southwest Missouri? The Food Bank has tirelessly met the needs of our 270 hunger-relief partners this year, and we need your help so these organizations can continue providing uninterrupted service for families facing hunger in 2021.

I want you to know that you can trust The Food Bank with your gifts this holiday season and throughout the year. Every dollar donated helps provide $10 worth of groceries to people experiencing hunger, and as you can read in the enclosed letter, Ozarks Food Harvest received its ninth consecutive four-star rating from Charity Navigator this year. I am proud to partner with an organization that puts the needs of the community above all else.

You have the power to give a gift of hope to families this holiday season. By choosing to donate to Ozarks Food Harvest, you will help provide food to the neighbors who need it most. Thank you for serving the community with us this year.