Ozarks Food Harvest receives $250K in tax credits

Springfield's largest food bank is getting some much-needed assistance from the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

Ozarks Food Harvest is receiving $250,000 in Neighborhood Assistance Program credits from Missouri DED. Businesses can donate cash, materials, services, equipment or technical assistance, and in return, they receive 50 percent of the value of their donation in state tax credits. The food pantry must sell the credits by the end of 2011.

Ozarks Food Harvest Executive Director Bart Brown said the proceeds from selling the credits will help with the food bank's basic operations, including purchase of food and distribution.

"With the economy the way it has been, the need for food continues to escalate," Brown said. "While we are fortunate to have corporate sponsors such as Kraft, (Associated Wholesale Grocers) and Wal-Mart, we do have to purchase an increasing amount of food to supplement that."

Ozarks Food Harvest purchased more than 313,000 pounds of food in fiscal 2009, according to the organization Web site, at a cost of $330,000.  

Brown noted that the last time the organization used NAP credits was during its four-year capital campaign, which ended in 2009. That campaign raised the money for the organization to move into its $4.8 million, 46,000-square-foot warehouse, which opened in June.