Ozarks Food Harvest ends fiscal year with record distributions

Ozarks Food Harvest ended fiscal 2014 with distribution of over 15 million pounds, the most in its 31-year history.

For the year ended June 30, the organization distributed the equivalent of 12.5 million meals. The regional food bank serves some 200 food pantries in 28 Ozarks counties, delivering food annually to 170,000 individuals, according to a news release.

On June 10, Ozarks Food Harvest hit the 14 million-pound mark, surpassing its annual distribution goal of 13 million pounds by fiscal 2015. An influx of fresh produce distributed during the second half of June brought the food bank ahead by 2 million pounds.

"In our last three-year strategic plan, we set a goal to distribute 13 million pounds of food annually by our fiscal year 2015, which puts us more than 2 million pounds over our goal, an entire year ahead,” Ozarks Food Harvest President and CEO Bart Brown said in the release.