An organization that partners with many food pantries in southwest Missouri hits a milestone.

The full story below from Jason Wert of the Branson Tri-Lakes News:

Ozarks Food Harvest announced a milestone in their mission of serving meals to those in need throughout southwest Missouri.

OFH announced the distribution of 20 million meals over the past year. The charity said seven out of every 10 meals distributed by their network of food pantries and meal sites was supplied by OFH.

“Even as many people return to work, the demand is still high for food assistance in southwest Missouri,” Tommy Wohlgemuth, CFO and COO at SGC Foodservice in Springfield and Ozarks Food Harvest’s outgoing board president, said in a statement. “The board recognizes that further investments in our community will be necessary to get families on the road to recovery.”

The organization expanded their services from July 2021 to July 2022 with the help of $1 million in grants to fund the Mobile Food Pantry program, drive-thru food pantries, and a Mobile Produce Pantry. Over 900,000 meals were distributed through Mobile Food Pantries to more than 50,000 families in the Ozarks.

OFH’s Food Bank also purchased $2.5 million in food during the last fiscal year, half a million dollars more than the previous fiscal year. Over 23 million pounds of food, including 4.2 million pounds of fresh produce, was distributed during the last fiscal year.

The organizations’ Retail Pick-up Program, which collects fresh produce, frozen meat, and dairy products from more than 140 grocery stores every week, also set a record collecting 7 million pounds of edible food which would have otherwise been wasted.

“Our work has been more important than ever in the past year as folks continue to deal with increased prices for food,” Bart Brown, president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest, said in a statement. “We’re in it for the long haul to ensure children, families and seniors don’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from.”

The impact of OFH has been significant on some local charities.

“We are grateful for our partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest,” interim Executive Director of Christian Action Ministries Michele Dean told Branson Tri-Lakes News. “Over 90% of our food supply comes directly from OFH or their partners. Without their assistance, we would not be able to combat food insecurity in Taney County.”

State statistics show in southwest Missouri one in five children and one in six adults face issues related to hunger. 

For more information visit ozarksfoodharvest.org.