2011 W. Curtis Strube Candidate: Ozarks Food Harvest Inc.

When it comes to feeding the hungry in Southwest Missouri, Ozarks Food Harvest Inc. has a full plate.

The nonprofit food bank distributed 6.7 million pounds of food in 2009, 8.5 million pounds of food in 2010 and is on target to distribute 10.5 million pounds of food this year to more than 300 nonprofit hunger relief organizations in 28 counties in the Ozarks.

Ozarks Food Harvest was founded in 1983, but even after more than a quarter-century, people still get the food bank confused with a food pantry, which provides food directly to those in need, said President and CEO Bart Brown.  

“We get food donations from a variety of sources, warehouse it and distribute the food to pantries,” Brown said, noting that donor partners include Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kraft Foods, Springfield Grocer Co. and Reinhart FoodService LLC.  

In July 2009, Ozarks Food Harvest raised $5.1 million and moved to its 50,000-square-foot facility on North Cedarbrook Avenue. The facility is large enough to distribute 12 million pounds of food a year, a goal Brown said the organization expects to reach in 2012. The move also allowed the food bank to add nine employees for a total staff of 30.

Ozarks Food Harvest reported $14.8 million in revenues for 2010, from its donor list, foundations and federal contracts to distribute commodities.

He said the organization has the highest rating – four stars – from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities.

 “We’re proud of how little of our money goes to fundraising and administration,” Brown said, noting that 96 percent of its money is spent on food distribution.

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