NETWORK NEWS An internal newsletter for Ozarks Food Harvest member agencies
May 2020
Thank you for caring for hungry neighbors through this time of continual change.
THANKS FOR CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY Hello from the Member Services team at Ozarks Food Harvest! We know the last few months have been incredibly challenging as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change on a daily basis, but we wanted to take a moment to thank you. Because of you, thousands of people in the Ozarks are getting the help they need to put food on the table. You are serving the most vulnerable friends and neighbors in our community: seniors who need some extra help, parents who have lost their jobs and children who no longer have access to the daily school meals they rely on. Thank you for keeping your doors open. Thank you for adapting to keep your staff, volunteers and clients safe. Thank you for caring so deeply for our community. More people than ever are in search of food assistance. Many of them have never had to visit a food pantry or ask for help before. Thank you for helping them feel comfortable and cared for during such a chaotic time.
We also want to thank you for putting safety first. Drive-through distributions and contactless meal pickups are keeping families across southwest Missouri fed. We know change can be hard, especially in the midst of the unknown, so we greatly appreciate your commitment to keep everyone as safe as possible. The next few months are likely to bring even more change and uncertainty, but we are here to support you and the hungry neighbors you serve. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us through our member services hotline at 417-380-5007. We are happy to answer any questions and help you navigate through this journey! Thank you for taking care of the hungry and hurting. Together, we are Transforming Hunger into Hope.
Deanna Monnig, president of Ash Grove Food Pantry, is assuring families that they can get the food they need without feeling ashamed. “We have been touched by so many people who never dreaded in a million years that they would ever have to go to a food pantry! Single mothers that lost good jobs. Couples with children who are barely able to make ends meet with both of them working and now they have no job. Our people are great at telling others we are there. Believe it or not, there have been several who said they had no idea we were even there. People are wonderful,” she shared.
The Food Bank is purchasing an increased amount of food for agencies and Mobile Food Pantry distributions.