EMPTY BOWLS RAISES RECORD $5,000 FOR OFH
KEVIN HOWARD AND LIZ DELANY OF 105.9 KGBX HOSTED THE 17TH ANNUAL HUNGERTHON, A FOUR DAY RADIO-THON TO BENEFIT OZARKS FOOD HARVEST'S WEEKEND BACKPACK PROGRAM.
17th HUNGERTHON RAISES $125,000 Annual radio-thon helps support 416 children on the Backpack Program Ozarks Food Harvest and iHeartMedia’s 17th annual radio-thon, Hungerthon, raised $125,380 to support 416 children on the Weekend Backpack Program. The program provides hungry children with nutritious, child-friendly food items to take home over the weekends. Kevin Howard and Liz Delany of 105.9 KGBX hosted the four day radio-thon. Since 1999, nearly $1.5 million has been raised through Hungerthon. This year, Hungerthon moved from Alice 95.5 to 105.9 KGBX. Several backpacks were matched by community businesses and foundations including SGC Foodservice, MassMutual Financial Group, The Musgrave Foundation, CoxHealth, Prime Inc., Peck's Insurance & Financial Services, Taylor Communications, Colwell Captures, Huff Distributing, Nancy Jester, Ron & Janice Penney and Yahweh’s Place of Cedarville, MO. Event sponsors included Family Pharmacy, Sonic and Studio 417 Salon. Power Hour sponsors included Krispy Kreme, Coyote’s Adobe Cafe, May Motor Company, Bambino’s and B2, Big Whiskey’s, Academy of Hair
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The second annual Empty Bowls to benefit Ozarks Food Harvest raised over $5,000 to provide 25,000 meals to hungry children, families and seniors in southwest Missouri! The regional food bank partnered with Panera Bread to offer a bowl handcrafted by a local artist, as well as soup and bread, in exchange for cash donations. “We’re thrilled with the results from this year’s Empty Bowls. Area artists and community members came together to help their neighbors in need through this unique fundraiser,” said Denise Gibson, Director of Development and Communication at Ozarks Food Harvest. “These bowls will serve as a daily reminder that hunger is a critical issue in the Ozarks, as one in six adults and one in four children may not know where their next meal will come from.” The event, held on Sept. 25 in the parking lot of Panera on East Sunshine, drew a crowd of more than one hundred attendees. Nearly 50 area artists donated bowls for the event made from 19 varieties of wood, as well as hand-thrown pottery bowls, and even bowls crafted by Springfield elementary and college students. Over 200 bowls, including six silent auction pieces, were sold to raise a record $5,073. “I couldn’t be more proud of the results from this year’s event and our relationship with Ozarks Food Harvest,” said Elisa Kruger, Regional Catering Sales Manager and Community Relations Manager for Panera Bread. “I’m also grateful for the generosity of the local artists that made it all possible.”
NEARLY 56,000 BAGS FULL OF NUTRITIOUS FOOD ARE DISTRIBUTED ANNUALLY TO KIDS IN NEED.
Design, McKowen Family Dental, Shaila’s Boutique, The Order at Hotel Vandivort, Fire & Ice and Edible Arrangements. Fifty-one southwest Missouri schools participate in the Weekend Backpack Program, which distributes nearly 56,000 bags annually. Pledges can still be made to support kids on the Backpack Program. For a donation of $300, or $25 monthly, a child will receive two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, two snacks and drinks every weekend of an entire school year. Call Ozarks Food Harvest for more information, or give securely online at ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate.
WOOD AND POTTERY BOWLS WERE DONATED BY NEARLY 50 AREA ARTISTS FOR EMPTY BOWLS.
Transforming Hunger into Hope™ for more than 30 years