Ozarks Food Harvest says June of 2019 to June of 2020 was a record breaking year for food distribution. The food bank provided 22 million meals--a 20 percent increase--and the largest in Ozarks Food Harvest’s 37-year history. According to the organization, that’s largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and many people losing jobs.
Ozarks Food Harvest has provided Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach, drive-thru food pantries and additional mobile food pantries during the pandemic.
The food bank’s president and CEO, Bart Brown, says in a news release that hundreds of donors stepped up to help provide food for people who lost jobs and parents who needed help feeding their children.
Ozarks Food Harvest reaches more than 261,000 individuals each year through 270 hunger relief partners.