February 2025 Newsletter by Ozarks Food Harvest

HARVEST TIME

OZARKS FOOD HARVEST – THE FOOD BANK NEWSLETTER FROM THE O’REILLY CENTER FOR HUNGER RELIEF

ADDRESSING SENIOR HUNGER: HEAR FROM TWO VOLUNTEERS WITH FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE

Before the COVID-19 crisis, Mike believed people only cared about you if they wanted something from you. Even when he was short on food and needed help, he wouldn’t ask for it. But during the pandemic, Mike was moved to help his community. He heard about Crosslines and decided to drop off a donation – a decision that led him to comradery, and of course food, that helped him thrive.

“I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth,” shared Mike, recalling the first time he visited Crosslines food pantry. “But while I was there, I said, ‘Do you need any help?’ I’ve been volunteering here ever since.”

Mike had been volunteering at Crosslines for a short while when his father passed away two years ago. A retired senior himself, Mike was suddenly living on just a single fixed income. It wasn’t enough to make ends meet. But through his time at Crosslines, he’d gotten to know the staff and volunteers and finally felt comfortable sharing his situation. The staff quickly got him on the waitlist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Senior Food Box Program run through Ozarks Food Harvest.

“I didn’t know the kindness of people,” Mike said. “I never grew up that way, so to ask for something was different for me. And then to find out that they actually cared about me meant quite a bit.”

One of the caring people he met was a volunteer named Annie. At 81-years-old, she’s one of Crosslines’ core volunteers, giving about 36 hours a week to help her neighbors get food. Among her many responsibilities, one includes keeping track of seniors on the Senior Food Box Program. That’s how she knew where to get food herself when her fixed income wasn’t lasting the month. “I get my Social Security and small pensions,” she explained, “but by the end of the month, you don’t have any money left.”

Annie and Mike’s experiences are similar to many seniors in southwest Missouri. As you’ll read on page two, thousands of older adults over age 60 face challenges like limited income and increased costs that mean they sometimes have to make tough choices. Mike said, “It might make the difference between whether they choose to get medication or not, because I’ve been in that situation myself in the past couple years before I started getting the Senior Box.”

Seniors should never have to choose between food and other necessities such as medicine and utilities. That’s why Ozarks Food Harvest partners with senior centers, churches and food pantries like Crosslines to ensure older adults can eat nutritious meals to stay healthy and independent.

For Mike and Annie, they particularly appreciate foods like produce, whole grain

"If you need help, put your pride aside... You have to give people the opportunity to show you they care."

– Mike, Crosslines

cereal, juice and cheese that aren’t always affordable at the grocery store. These items support a healthy diet, and they’re easy to prepare for seniors with mobility issues.

Your support makes programs like our Senior Food Box Program, Senior Mobile Produce Pantries and more possible. Crosslines Senior Services Coordinator, Mellissa Potts, said, “Without Ozarks Food Harvest, we wouldn’t be able to do it. There’s many times we can get things from Ozarks Food Harvest, as costs have increased, that allow us to keep a full pantry.”

As for Mike, he has advice for local seniors who aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from. “If you need help,” he said, “put your pride aside. You go ask for help and you’ll find it. You have to give people the opportunity to show you they care. When I see people in need today, I tell them about Crosslines. I tell them about the Senior Boxes.”

Will you make a gift today to help Ozarks Food Harvest ensure our partner charities have the resources to feed seniors like Mike, Annie and the neighbors they serve? To give now, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate.

Right here in southwest Missouri, there are thousands of seniors living on fixed incomes who can’t always access nutritious meals. Good nutrition is important at all stages of life, but it’s particularly impactful for adults over age 60. With inflation rising in recent years, Ozarks Food Harvest has taken a closer look at how we can help our elderly neighbors access the food they need to thrive.

Many seniors with a fixed income already have to budget carefully, depending heavily or entirely on set monthly checks from sources like Social Security. Any small change in circumstances, like medical issues or price increases, could be detrimental to a fixed income. Add to that the increased costs of food and basic necessities, and you have a lot more seniors wondering if their budget will last the month.

To compensate, seniors may choose cheaper, less healthy food options – or skip meals entirely – to prioritize expenses such as rent and medication. As a result, our elderly neighbors might not get the necessary foods to stay healthy. Adults over 60 are especially at risk of health issues when they don’t get the nutrients they need.

Donors and volunteers like you help support several programs that increase seniors’ access to nourishing meals. With your help, The Food Bank is able to provide food, grants and technical assistance to local hunger-relief charities. Our partner charities include senior centers, churches and food pantries that serve groceries and hot meals to seniors experiencing food insecurity.

In 2022, Ozarks Food Harvest started the Senior Mobile Produce Pantry – a Mobile Food Pantry program that brings produce, protein and pantry staples to seniors in rural communities. Ozarks Food Harvest's Senior Food program also provides USDA food boxes, which are packed by our generous volunteers.

One of the communities we serve is the town of Sheldon, where Mary picked up food from our Mobile Food Pantry. “These programs are so important, especially with the economy today,” she shared. “A lot of seniors are just not making it. never thought I’d be in a food bank line, and here am. This food makes it so that I don’t have to worry month-to-month about meeting those deadlines because you only get paid once a month.”

We need your help to ensure local seniors like Mary get the nourishment needed to stay healthy and independent. To help fight senior hunger, give now at ozarksfoodharvest.org/ donate or scan the QR code below.

Charlie’s CORNER

BRING HOPE TO SENIORS ALL YEAR LONG

Did you know that 1 in 3 people served by Ozarks Food Harvest are seniors? As an older American myself, this statistic breaks my heart.

Backpack Program or help a grandmother continue to receive a box of nutritious food every month through the Senior Food Box Program

Help provide protein for our neighbors facing hunger by hosting a Lent Food Drive. Participate by hosting a food and fund drive or host an online fundraiser. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org/events/lent-fooddrive-2025. March 5 – April 17

CASEY’S HERE FOR GOOD CAMPAIGN

February 26 – April 1

Round up at the register with your local Casey’s General Store through April 1 to benefit Ozarks Food Harvest! Every dollar donated helps provide three meals to people experiencing food insecurity in the Ozarks.

LAMAR SENIOR

When is the last time you tasted a cucumber? What about an orange or an apple? For one home-bound Lamar senior, she couldn’t remember the last time she had tasted fresh produce. After a mistake with her normal homebound delivery service, she travelled to the senior center one Friday afternoon to get food.

When she arrived, volunteers and staff greeted her and filled up a grocery bag full of food. They offered her fresh vegetables and fruit, but she refused, saying she didn’t want to take from someone else. Eventually, staff convinced her to take home a large box full of fresh produce, milk, bakery items like sliced bread and more.

“She was so excited to get fresh milk with cereal [instead of powdered milk]!” said Lamar Senior Center Nutrition Program Manager Stormy Cuba. “She was so excited for fresh fruits

and vegetables. We told her to take a few apples and oranges, too!”

Stormy said that the ability to give fresh produce and milk to their seniors comes, in part, from their partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest. “Fresh fruits and vegetables that we just take for granted, that’s why we love our jobs and our partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest… We get to give people that,” said Stormy.

Lauren Thornton, the Lamar Senior Center manager, said seniors are often forgotten in the conversation on food insecurity. With the help of local officials and businesses, as well as local partnerships like Ozarks Food Harvest, the Lamar Senior Center is able to “have a voice for the elderly” in the area and serve them all, whether they’re home-bound or not.

One group of older women picks up fresh produce at the end of the week and cans it before giving it away to neighbors who need it. “The older generation is not inclined to ask for help when they need it, but they are also extremely resourceful and good at conserving food,” Lauren said.

Ozarks Food Harvest is proud to partner with the Lamar Senior Center to help create impactful moments for generations of families and individuals in the Lamar area. More information on their work can be found at aaaregionx.org/activities.

At our age, Mary Beth and I pay close attention to our health and know that good health starts with access to good, nutritious food.

That’s why year-round giving is critical to The Food Bank. Thousands of donors and volunteers like you helped Ozarks Food Harvest during the holiday season to ensure older folks could put a meal on the table, but there’s still work to be done. I was recently talking to Bart, and he shared how many seniors are experiencing the challenges of winter, including higher utility bills, prescriptions and food costs.

Take a look at some of the stories in this month’s newsletter detailing how your generosity helps The Food Bank give hope to seniors in its service area. These stories are a testament to the positive impact your support will bring to older folks in our community that are often overlooked.

The cover story discusses how The Food Bank’s Senior Food Box program is helping older adults access groceries right here in Springfield. On page two, you can learn about how balancing nutrition with prescriptions and rising utility bills is one the biggest challenges for a senior living on a fixed income. Also on page two, find a great story about one of Ozarks Food Harvest’s partners, Lamar Senior Center, and how they’re helping seniors put fresh produce back in their diets.

These stories highlight how your donations help ensure The Food Bank’s network of 270 charities are consistently supplied with food. Your gift will help ensure a child has enough food to eat over the weekend through the Weekend

The best part about making a gift to Ozarks Food Harvest is you can rest assured that it’s being spent wisely. Last fall, The Food Bank earned their 13th consecutive Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator, based on their performance across multiple metrics, such as finance, impact and results. This shows that Ozarks Food Harvest is a good steward of each and every donation that comes through their door.

Please consider becoming a regular monthly donor today by joining The Food Bank’s Harvest Circle community. Your generous gift now will help ensure a local senior doesn’t have to choose between food or prescriptions this winter. When you sign up for Harvest Circle, you also save time and postage by setting up automatic payments every month. One-time donations go a long way, but monthly commitments give The Food Bank flexibility to budget for an increased demand for food and unexpected expenses.

And, if you’re already a monthly donor, please consider increasing the amount you give.

Thank you in advance for your help in 2025. If you’d like more information about how your gift is being used to give hope to the community, please give Bart a call.

SCOUTING FOR FOOD

March 1 – March 31

Join Scouting America and the Ozarks Trails Council in collecting food for families this March. Across the Ozarks, Scouts are going door-to-door in southwest Missouri neighborhoods to collect nonperishable food items for our neighbors facing hunger. Place items in the grocery bags distributed by local Scouts, and Scouts will come pick up your donation. Or, drop off food and fund donations at designated locations. For more information, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/ events/scouting-for-food-2025.

FOOD FIGHT

February 28 – March 13

Springfield Public Schools will compete for the title of Food Fight Champion while raising meals for our neighbors facing hunger. Your business or organization can help by hosting a fundraiser or food drive on behalf of a partner school. Visit bit. ly/foodfight_2025 to register or contact Ali Pool at 417-865-3411 to learn more.

donors help families put food on the table.

Charlie O’Reilly

Your donations help seniors have consistent access to nutritious food.

MEET THE LEADERS SHAPING OZARKS FOOD HARVEST’S FUTURE

Feeding people today and tomorrow has been Ozarks Food Harvest’s focus for more than 40 years. In my time as president and CEO, I’ve seen our organization go from distributing 3 million pounds of food per year to more than 24 million pounds in 2024. Succession planning has been the key to that focus and we’ve been fortunate enough to grow our next generation of leaders from within.

That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to three of our staff that have taken on leadership roles in the past year. These three are part of a team that will help ensure The Food Bank remains dedicated to ending hunger in the Ozarks.

Jordan Browning has stepped into the role of director of communications. He’s responsible for sharing the stories of families served by Ozarks Food Harvest and ensuring their voice remains at the forefront of our work. With more than 12 years at Ozarks Food Harvest as our public information officer, Jordan brings extensive advocacy and media experience to his new role.

Cassie Hanson has become our new director of development. During her 15 years at The Food Bank as the development and grants manager, Cassie has been critical in strengthening donor engagement and support for our mission. She builds strategic relationships and ensures that we are good stewards of every dollar you donate.

Alexa Poindexter has been promoted to director of Full Circle Gardens which is a newly created position as the program has grown dramatically in the last five years to provide more than 100,000 pounds of local, fresh produce per year to families facing hunger. Alexa previously served as the Full Circle Gardens manager and has worked at Ozarks Food Harvest for more than seven years.

I’m thrilled to promote these three staff members who have shown such strong dedication to our mission of Transforming Hunger into Hope. I’m confident in Ozarks Food Harvest’s future knowing we have a great succession plan and leaders ready to serve the community.

Bart Brown, President/CEO

BART’S Hope Note

If you know Alexa, Cassie or Jordan, please congratulate them on their promotions and dedicated commitment to our mission. Thank you for your support in ensuring we can continue to Transform Hunger into Hope.

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC BENEFITS THE WEEKEND BACKPACK PROGRAM AND FOOD PURCHASES

This year’s tournament awarded $25,000 to provide weekend meals to students facing hunger and an additional $25,000 for food purchases. Each year, O’Reilly Auto Parts hosts the Charity Golf Classic to raise money for organizations that help individuals and families overcome barriers including hunger, homelessness, health, poverty, domestic violence and literacy. Since 2017, this event has provided $150,000 for children and families facing hunger in the Ozarks. Thank you, O’Reilly Auto Parts, for your generosity and commitment to serving our neighbors in need.

PAPA JOHNS FOUNDATION BUILDING COMMUNITY FUND PROVIDES 22,500 MEALS

A recent gift of $7,500 from the Papa Johns Foundation will help provide 22,500 meals across the Ozarks. The Building Community Fund gives local Papa Johns restaurants the opportunity to support nonprofit organizations in the communities where they live, work and play. When you order with the code FOODOZ at your local store, you’ll receive a 30% discount and Ozarks Food Harvest will receive 10% of the proceeds from your order. Pick up a pizza in Ozark or Springfield and support The Food Bank! Huge thanks to Papa Johns and the Papa Johns Foundation for their help to end hunger in the Ozarks.

SMART CHICKEN DONATES

2.6 TONS OF CHICKEN TO FIGHT HUNGER

Ozarks Food Harvest received 2.6 tons of chicken in December thanks to Smart Chicken’s 22nd annual Smart Giving Holiday Challenge. The Food Bank will distribute the chicken to its network of 270 faith-based and community charities to meet the increased demand for food in southwest Missouri. Through its Smart Giving Holiday Challenge, Smart Chicken donates 10% of poultry purchased at participating retailers in November to Ozarks Food Harvest. Participating retailers included Apple Market, Country Mart, Food 4 Less, G&W Foods, Harter House, Price Cutter, Town & Country and Woods Supermarket. Thanks, Smart Chicken, for your gift and for donating more than 161,000 pounds of chicken since 2004!

Joe Horvath, account manager for Smart Chicken, and Bart Brown, president and CEO

BASS PRO PROVIDES MORE THAN 14,000 WEEKEND MEALS FOR CHILDREN

Sincerest thanks to Bass Pro for their $25,000 gift to support the Weekend Backpack Program. These funds will fill more than 2,800 food bags with 17,000 meals for students facing hunger in Springfield Public Schools. This gift comes at a time of increased costs for both school meals and groceries that are stretching families’ budgets to their breaking point. Special thanks for Bass Pro’s continued support in the movement to end hunger in the Ozarks.

To end hunger in the Ozarks, we must invest in the next generation. One in 5 children and 1 in 6 adults face hunger in our community and ending that will take more than a single donation today.

Ozarks Food Harvest offers many opportunities for you to create a legacy of hope – one that ensures our mission continues for generations to come. Whether it’s through a bequest in your will, a charitable trust, or naming Ozarks Food Harvest as a beneficiary of your retirement account or life insurance, planned gifts are a powerful testament to your commitment to our work.

As always, we encourage you to consult with a CPA or financial adviser to help you design a plan that works best for you and figure out what benefits might be available. No matter how you choose to extend your giving, please know we will be honored by your long-term support of our mission. It will strengthen our community and help put meals on the table for children, families and seniors facing hunger in southwest Missouri.

Your gift provides critical resources to continue our programs and initiatives. Planned gifts often allow you to make a more significant impact than you might have thought possible while preserving your current financial security. Many planned giving options come with tax benefits for you and your heirs.

To learn more about planned giving opportunities, please visit ozarksfoodharvest. org/planned-giving or call Cassie Hanson, director of development, at 417-865-3411. If you have already included Ozarks Food Harvest in your estate plans, please let us know so we can thank you and ensure your gift is used exactly as you intend.

Thank you for considering a legacy gift to Ozarks Food Harvest. Your generosity can shape our future and ensure our mission to Transform Hunger into Hope is secure for years to come.

KRAFT HEINZ 33-YEAR PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES MEALS TO NEIGHBORS FACING HUNGER

For 33 years, Kraft Heinz has partnered with Ozarks Food Harvest to help provide millions of meals for our neighbors facing hunger. Last fiscal year, Kraft Heinz donated 560,000 pounds of food — a value of more than $1 million. In addition to food donations, Kraft Heinz has supported The Food Bank through financial donations and grants totaling $560,000. In 2024, the company awarded Ozarks Food Harvest more than $32,000 for the Weekend Backpack Program. This included a $25,000 grant, thanks to Feeding America. In total, Kraft Heinz financial donations helped provide more than 96,000 meals last year. Thank you, Kraft Heinz, for making a sustainable impact in southwest Missouri.

30TH ANNUAL TURKEY TROT PROVIDES MORE THAN 4,500 MEALS

Our community got into the spirit of giving at the 2024 Turkey Trot 5K. The event’s food and fund drive raised more than 4,000 pounds of food and $200, which provided more than 4,500 meals for our neighbors facing hunger in southwest Missouri. Since 2001, the Thanksgiving Day race has collected more than 165,000 meals for families in Ozarks Food Harvest’s service area. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who donated and the generous volunteers who gave their time for the event. Special thanks to the Developmental Center of the Ozarks and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board for their annual partnership!

Jordan Browning, Director of Communications Cassie Hanson, Director of Development Alexa Poindexter, Director of Full Circle Gardens

Food Bank staff pose with Mr. Slice and local Papa Johns representatives.

of Ozarks Food Harvest.

HUNGER HERO NEWS

“I volunteer because myself and my husband have experienced hunger… We’ve been given food boxes, and that’s what helped us survive.”

OZARKS FOOD HARVEST DISTRIBUTES 10,000 GARDEN-TO-GO KITS THANKS TO LOCAL SEED RETAILERS

Pam Moffitt has a lot of empathy for families facing hunger. When asked why she donates her time, Pam answered, “Because myself and my husband have experienced hunger. We’ve had empty cupboards, and we’ve had to make the decision between diapers and food for ourselves. We’ve been given food boxes, and that’s what helped us survive.”

It’s been a long time since Pam and her family accepted help from the women’s aid society at a military base. At the time, the couple was having trouble making ends meet as a young military family with a baby. “[The women’s aid society] actually found us,” shared Pam. “One day, my husband came home from work with a big box of food that fed us for a week. It absolutely made

a difference. It happened once or twice but it was just enough to get us by and fill the gaps until the next paycheck.”

Now retired, Pam volunteers with Ozarks Food Harvest several times a week, giving others the same kindness she received years ago. She and her husband originally volunteered at Ozarks Food Harvest with their church group, but Pam found a passion for the mission that keeps her coming back on her own.

Although she prefers to make a difference behind the scenes sorting and packing food, she recently became one of Ozarks Food Harvest’s newest Volunteer Ambassadors. She hopes the new responsibilities will get her out of her comfort zone to share the importance of hunger

relief with the community – because, while Pam says she doesn’t know the solution to ending hunger, she does know that each volunteer makes a difference.

“I’m not a deep thinker,” she explained. “I’m a doer. [Volunteering] is so satisfying because hopefully it’s making a difference in that one person’s life so they will be able to turn around and give back also.”

With her time and compassion, Pam helps Ozarks Food Harvest provide crucial meals to thousands of children, families and seniors in southwest Missouri. We couldn’t Transform Hunger into Hope without volunteers like Pam. If you’d like to get involved, learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer.

Ozarks Food Harvest’s Full Circle Gardens department will distribute more than 10,000 Garden-To-Go Kits this year to help families facing hunger in the Ozarks grow their own food. A special thank you to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company for donating more than $1.4 million worth of seeds, as well as Seed Savers Exchange, The Buffalo Seed Company, Territorial Seed Company, Burpee Seeds and other local retailers. Their generosity brought our total seed donation worth to more than $1.5 million!

We will distribute our Garden-To-Go Kits to families through our network of 270 faithbased and community charities as well as other Feeding America food banks in Missouri. Each kit contains seeds for flowers, herbs and vegetables, along with a planting calendar, links to gardening instructions and budgetfriendly cookbooks.

“We appreciate all of our donors and volunteers that continue to make our Garden-to-Go Kits possible,” said Alexa Poindexter, director of Full Circle Gardens at Ozarks Food Harvest. “This is such a great way to get families involved with growing their own food supply and being part of the solution to end hunger in the Ozarks.”

Ozarks Food Harvest will also share seeds with organizations such as schools, seed libraries, community gardens and more to promote gardening in the community.

Ozarks Food Harvest is so excited to share garden resources with neighbors facing hunger all across Missouri. Thank you to our local retailers for helping spread produce and beauty to our Ozarks communities.

MID-KANSAS COOPERATIVE AND LAND O’ LAKES HELP END HUNGER WITH TIME AND FUNDS

This fall, Mid-Kansas Cooperative (MKC) went above and beyond to give back to the rural communities they serve in southwest Missouri. In partnership with Land O’ Lakes, MKC supported the movement to end hunger with a $10,000 donation to The Food Bank and volunteered at not just one, but three of our Mobile Food Pantry distributions.

Part of MKC’s mission to “provide a safe and sustainable food supply” includes their commitment to “helping rural communities prosper and prepare for tomorrow.” Rural communities disproportionately have higher than average food insecurity rates, which is why it was important to MKC to support the communities where they live and work. Counties in MKC’s footprint include Vernon, Barton, Jasper, Newton and McDonald Counites,

some of the most rural communities in Ozarks Food Harvest’s service area.

MKC’s donations of time and funds helped provide nearly 20,000 meals to 750 people in Pineville, Sheldon and Walker, Missouri.

Neighbor Jana picked up food from the Mobile Food Pantry in Sheldon that day and shared, “For a lot of the people here, if they didn’t have this food every month, they wouldn’t make it. You’re doing great. Everybody who helps here is happy and smiling.”

Thank you to MKC and Land O’ Lakes for helping end hunger in southwest Missouri. Your gifts of time and funds have helped so many families put meals on the table. We need