Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 270 hunger-relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches nearly 70,000 individuals monthly and provides more than 20 million meals annually. In 2023, Ozarks Food Harvest received its twelfth consecutive Four-Star Charity Navigator rating. The Food Bank has been named the Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nonprofit of the Year by the Springfield Business Journal. Its facility, the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief, has also received “superior” AIB International food safety certifications.
Founded in 1983, Ozarks Food Harvest has a stated mission of Transforming Hunger into Hope. The simple statement serves as a visionary and meaningful summary of Ozarks Food Harvest’s goals, while expressing exactly what it is The Food Bank does. Ozarks Food Harvest provides food distribution and services to 270 Ozarks nonprofits through programs such as the Weekend Backpack Program, Mobile Food Pantry, After-School & Summer Food programs, the Senior Food Program and more.