On April 5, members of The Network for Springfield’s Young Professionals visited Ozarks Food Harvest as part of the Civic Engagement Series to tour operations and learn about its mission.

Bart Brown, president and CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest (OFH), spoke to YPs about the services and the impact OFH has on the region. “We serve 28 counties, roughly a third of the state and over 20,000 square miles,” said Brown.

OFH is the only food bank in southwest Missouri. It provides 20 million meals a year to 300 agencies via 16 trucks that deliver twice a month.

Jordan Browning, director of communications, described food insecurity as, “the lack of access to enough food for an active, health life for all household members.” For our region, 1 in 7 households are food insecure, half with children and seniors. In southwest Missouri, 4 in 10 households make the choice between paying for food or utilities.

There are many misconceptions about the people Ozarks Food Harvest serves according to Browning. On average, OFH serves mostly white individuals, aged 30 to 49 and have two to three members in the family. Most clients have high school diplomas, rent or lease a home and make less than $20,000 per year. Currently, more low-income workers are using food pantries as a budgeting tool to afford housing and childcare.

 “The lack of affordable housing, food and daycare coupled with recent inflation have led to 40% more people needing help now than at the peak of COVID,” said Brown.

The OFH’s outreach extends to youth through the school Weekend Backpack Program, After-School Food Program (community locations where food is provided) and Summer Food programs to feed students when school is out. It also serves seniors through senior centers, churches and pantries. The Mobile Food Pantry delivers food directly to rural communities that lack a food pantry or other emergency food assistance programs. In addition, the OFH team does extensive outreach to educate those who are eligible for SNAP benefits through an application process.

One area of emphasis is on providing locally sourced fresh produce to food pantries. OFH began the Full Circle Gardens department and is now distributing 90,000 pounds of fresh produce each year from excess product donated by local farmers as well as its own farm in Rogersville. Each year it has also distributed 9,000 Garden-To-Go-Kits that provide free garden seeds and resources to families.

Network members were able to tour the 100,00 square foot OFH distribution facility with 20% of which is cooler and freezer space while utilizing green technology to decrease utility cost and carbon footprint. OFH has 85 staff members and relies on 30,000 hours of volunteer work each year.

If you would like to volunteer with Ozarks Food Harvest, click here to explore the different opportunities. These include sorting and packing, garden volunteers and using your artistic skill to pen Hope Notes cards for student backpacks.