Network News | January 2017

January 2017

OFH provides selection of Christmas food

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hristmas is a time for families to be together. But between buying presents and paying for a heated house, a Christmas meal would be just a dream for some families if it weren’t for the hard work of Ozarks Food Harvest’s dedicated member pantries.

That’s why The Food Bank was honored to provide pantries with an expanded selection of traditional Christmas food this holiday season.

One pantry that took advantage of the wider selection was Least of These.

“In the past, we have provided holiday baskets to families with children and seniors only,” said Bonnie Schooler, executive director of Least of These. “With the ability to purchase items at a lower cost, we were able to provide a holiday meat item and side items to all of our clients this year.”

Some of these additional items that were made available included turkeys, canned sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Schooler said pantry clients were thankful to receive the Christmas food.

“Our clients are very grateful for the additional food,” she said. “Many are excited about being able to share a meal with their family or friends, when they normally have nothing to give this time of year. The extra food is helpful to families whose children are home on Christmas break, and are eating more meals at home.”

Crosslines of Springfield was another

IN THIS ISSUE

VOLUNTEERS HELP PACK THE HOLIDAY FOOD BASKETS AT CROSSLINES. ITEMS PROVIDED INCLUDED TURKEY, FRESH POTATOES AND MARGARINE.

pantry that picked out specialty Christmas items for its holiday food baskets.

“One of the great things that happened this year for us was that Ozarks Food Harvest was able to provide turkeys,” said Tom Faulkner, director of Crosslines of Springfield. “In the seven years that I have been doing this program, we’ve always given out a ham ... [but] a turkey provides much more meat for families.”

Originally, Faulkner was concerned about food safety issues with cooking turkeys, since the process is more complicated than

cooking a ham.

In order to work around this concern, the pantry partnered with Missouri State University dietetic students to prepare recipe cards with instructions on how to properly prepare the food to give to clients.

Schooler expressed her gratitude to The Food Bank for the additional holiday food.

“We appreciate all the hard work that went into the procurement and processing of these additional foods. You have enabled us to better serve struggling families in Christian County this holiday season.”

How to receive deer meat for clients New food safety training details OFH’s inclement weather policy Sen. Roy Blunt’s visit to Ozarks Food Harvest

AGENCIES ARE ABLE TO RECEIVE PACKAGED VENISON THROUGH THE SHARE THE HARVEST PROGRAM.

Hunters help hungry families

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unting for deer is an enjoyable pastime for many, and it can even be a way to help hungry families in the Ozarks.

The Share the Harvest program began in 1992 to provide hunters with a way to donate their extra deer meat that would otherwise go to waste.

Hunters simply take their deer to an approved processing plant where they can

decide how much of the venison they want to donate, whether that is just a few pounds or the whole deer. The processing plant then distributes the meat to agencies.

One Ozarks Food Harvest agency that receives deer meat for clients is the Dade County OACAC Neighborhood Center.

The center received 2,853 pounds of deer meet this past fall, making it a record-

breaking season.

“Many families and individuals have no dependable source of protein in their diets,” said Karen Roby, Dade County OACAC Neighborhood supervisor. “Red meat can provide that important component. Deer is a valuable source of protein, but unlike most red meat, it is unusually low in fat. Through Share the Harvest, Missouri hunters can help provide this part of the daily diet.”

The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri administer the Share the Harvest program.

Thanks to these agencies and state-wide sponsors, meat processing costs for hunters is reduced when a whole deer is donated.

“We distribute the deer meat along with our monthly commodity distribution and our emergency food program,” Roby said.

“We average 150 families who receive commodities monthly. The deer meat has to be distributed by May 15, so families will receive the meat based on how much we receive in a given year and how much time we have, which is usually approximately November to May.” According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, a pound of ground venison can be used to feed about four people, and the Dade County OACAC Neighborhood Center has provided about 56,000 meals of deer meat since they joined the program in 2006.

To learn how to receive meat through the Share the Harvest program, contact the Missouri Department of Conservation at 573751-4115.

Pantry and congregate classes will now be combined After conducting the last series of food safety classes, it became apparent that it would be best to combine the pantry and congregate classes since the information for feeding sites benefits everyone. In 2017, The Food Bank will offer many opportunities for everyone to stay current on their certifications. OFH will do its best to provide everyone enough advance notice of any

upcoming expiration dates.

The current policy is that pantries must have at least two staff members or volunteers attend a food safety class at OFH. Congregate feeding sites must also have at least two staff members or volunteers attend a food safety class at OFH or take the online class provided by The Greene County Health Department. To attend, visit statefoodsafety.

com/food-handler/missouri/greenecounty?location=springfield.

The cost is $10. Fax or email a copy of your certificate once training is done to memberservices@ozarksfoodharvest.org or 417-865-0504. Serve Safe certification is acceptable.

If you have any questions, please contact Member Services at 417-865-3411.

DID YOU KNOW? In November, 96 SNAP applications were submitted, generating more than $500,000 in local economic impact in the OFH network.

With grant funding from The Walt Disney Company, five After-School sites will now have fresh produce delivered to them on a weekly basis to support their feeding programs. Thanks, Walt Disney!

In fiscal year 2016, 25,044 senior boxes were distributed throughout 16 counties in the OFH service area. This equates to 525,924 meals annually!

TEFAP corner

Helpful reminders

Happy New Year! Here are some helpful TEFAP reminders to help you start the year off right.

First of all, USDA product is meant to be distributed within the month it is received and any excess product distributed within six months of receipt. It is best practice to distribute within 30 days.

Always remember The Food Bank and your local MU Extension Office are great resources for providing recipes for USDA products.

TEFAP hours of operation must be listed on the exterior of your building with an emergency phone number.

Please notify Member Services for an Hours of Operation decal to place on your door, if you would like one.

If you are missing any TEFAP signage at your distribution site, please notify Member Services and we will send it out on your next delivery.

The following are required of TEFAP: -Justice For All Poster -Distribution Chart (FD-19D Form) -Written Notice of Beneficiary Rights -Income Guidelines (FD-15 Form)

CONTACT US Ozarks Food Harvest Member Services 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave. Springfield, Mo., 65803 memberservices@ ozarksfoodharvest.org (417) 380-5007 ozarksfoodharvest.org

Director Q & A

Jim O’Hara

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im O’Hara, consumer directed services coordinator at the Independent Living Center is passionate about helping people with disabilities, which is why he has chosen to work at the center for the past 12 years.

The Independent Living Center is located in Joplin, and aims to help adults with disabilities live independent lives. To learn more about James, read our Q&A with him.

Q: Did you start out as a director at the Independent Living Center, or were you in another position prior to becoming director?

A: I started out as a case manager and the center saw my work ethic and time management skills and asked [me] to take on additional duties including Ozarks Food Harvest.

has been my biggest achievement. The ability to work with an array of personalities and being able to problem solve [have been my biggest challenges].

Q: What is the best part about your job?

A: Assisting individuals to be as independent as possible.

Q: What sparked your interest in working at ILC? A: [I] wanted the opportunity to serve individuals with disabilities within my community.

Q: What is your most memorable moment at the center?

A: My most memorable moment at the center was when management saw my potential. They noticed that I had good time management skills and they knew, and I knew, that I could take on more work. It has been 12 years later and it turns out we were both right.

Q: What has been your biggest achievement and challenge?

A: The ability to help the consumers I serve and to give them a sense of empowerment

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: I like to spend time with family and friends.

I have several nieces and nephews.

Q: What did you do prior to working at ILC? A: I was a case manager at Ozarks Center for nine years.

New OFH inclement weather policy The Food Bank no longer follows the Springfield Public School closing policy.

It is now the policy of Ozarks Food Harvest to remain open during most periods of inclement weather.

However, where extraordinary circumstances may exist, such as severe weather, we may close the facility.

Should this occur, The Food Bank will notify agencies expecting a delivery or a scheduled pick-up appointment that a cancellation will

SAVE THE DATE

be made and rescheduled.

Also, in the event of an unexpected delivery cancellation and OFH needs to contact your agency, it is extremely important The Food Bank has correct contact information for the people responsible for receiving the delivery.

To verify this information, please go to your online account to MY AGENCY and check the CONTACTS listed in your agency profile and notify member services if any information needs to be updated.

The Ozarks Food Harvest Agency Conference is April 10, 2017 at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center.

about the harsh reality of hunger facing too many Missourians, and how the support from the community is helping to solve the problem.

As the Blunt family toured The Food Bank’s warehouse, Sen. Blunt complimented Ozarks Food Harvest’s four-star rating from Charity Navigator, a nonprofit organization that is the nation’s largest independent charity evaluator.

Ozarks Food Harvest was the only nonprofit in Missouri to receive the honor of a perfect score in 2016.

This was not Sen. Blunt’s first visit to Ozarks Food Harvest. He has visited in the past around the same time of year in order to help spread awareness about the need for donations after the holiday season.

A special thank you to the Blunt family for taking the time to visit.

OZARKS FOOD HARVEST PRESIDENT/CEO BART BROWN GREETS SEN. ROY BLUNT TO THE FOOD BANK. PHOTO COURTESY THE SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER.

Sen. Blunt visits OFH

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en. Roy Blunt and his family visited Ozarks Food Harvest and the Boys & Girls Club in Joplin on Dec. 28 in order to spread awareness about the issue of hunger.

The Food Bank was honored to host Sen. Blunt.

This visit was timely as January and February are peak demand months for Ozarks Food Harvest’s member agencies.

As donations drop after the holiday season,

people served by OFH report making tough choices to make ends meet. In fact, 69 percent of those served say they choose between paying for utilities and food.

Sen. Blunt’s wife Abigail and 12-year-old son Charlie joined as well. Charlie even donated his allowance money to provide 750 meals for hungry people in the Ozarks.

During Sen. Blunt’s visit, The Food Bank’s president/CEO Bart Brown was able to talk

Good news at The Food Bank Welcome Melanie Toler

Successful year for The Food Bank

We are pleased to announce Melanie Toler has accepted the position of administrative assistant on the Member Services team. We are excited to have Melanie join our team as she brings a wonderful personality and experience with her to the position.

You may be familiar with her name.

Melanie began working as receptionist in May 2011, at a time when The Food Bank was experiencing the Joplin tornado, so she quickly became familiar with our agencies and Food Bank operations. Melanie will begin her new role the end of January. In her spare time, Melanie likes to play computer games, watch movies and hang with her dog.

It has been another record-breaking year for Ozarks Food Harvest! In 2016 we distributed 15 million meals, which is an increase of nearly half a million meals. In addition, nearly 1,700 children received Weekend Backpacks each week, which is an increase of more than 4,000 backpacks compared to last year.

Another success for OFH was being the only nonprofit in Missouri to receive a 100 percent rating from Charity Navigator.

On behalf of The Food Bank, we would like to thank you for your support in making 2016 a success. We look forward to helping even more people in 2017.

CHARLIE BLUNT SAVED HIS ALLOWANCE TO PROVIDE 750 MEALS.

LOOKING AHEAD...

Food Safety Training on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m.

Civil Rights Training begins Feb. 1 MLK Holiday: Food Bank will be open on Jan. 16. Deliveries will continue as scheduled.