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Ozarks Food Harvest officials have a goal of 28 million meals this fiscal year with its expanded distribution center in place.
Photo provided by Ozarks Food Harvest
Ozarks Food Harvest officials have a goal of 28 million meals this fiscal year with its expanded distribution center in place.

Ozarks Food Harvest distributes record amount of food

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Ozarks Food Harvest set a food distribution record in its latest fiscal year.

For the year ended June 30, the Springfield-based nonprofit provided 17.2 million meals, the largest amount in its history, according to an Aug. 27 news release.

Officials pointed to a specific statistic that 790,000 of the meals were made through Ozarks Food Harvest’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach for eligible families. According to the nonprofit, many of those meals would go unclaimed — meaning people are eligible but do not apply — without the outreach for the program formerly known as food stamps.

“Whether it’s a parent having to choose between feeding their children and keeping the lights on or a senior who can’t afford both groceries and medication, the food bank helps to ease these burdens throughout the community,” board President Dr. Meera Scarrow said in the release.

Either with the latest record, Ozarks Food Harvest has ambitious goals in fiscal 2019. The nonprofit is aiming to provide 28 million meals, a roughly 63 percent increase.

Expected to help meet that goal is the nonprofit’s new $4.8 million, 56,000-square-foot warehouse in North Creek Business Park, 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave. The facility is connected to an existing 46,000-square-foot distribution center.

“The expansion of our distribution center has allowed us to double in size and capacity,” said Bart Brown, president and CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest, in the release. “We are so grateful for generous donors who made this possible, and we look forward to creating a greater impact in the community.”

Ozarks Food Harvest provides food to 270 partner organizations in 28 area counties to serve 261,000 individuals per year.

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