Seventy-two area grocery stores – including Town and Country Supermarket stores in Licking and Cabool – are teaming up with Ozarks Food Harvest for the 20th annual Check Out Hunger fundraiser this holiday season. The campaign runs until Dec. 31.
Check Out Hunger gives shoppers the opportunity to add a $1, $3 or $5 tax-free donation to their grocery bill when checking out at both stores. Every dollar raised through Check Out Hunger will help provide four meals to children, families and seniors struggling with hunger.
When a customer chooses to add a donation to his or her grocery bill, the cashier simply scans the donation barcode, and the donor signs a paper apple for display. The tax-free gift is then added to the bill and appears on the receipt.
“The issue of hunger is a reality for so many of our neighbors here in the Ozarks,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest. “Year after year, we’re so thankful for the generosity shown by local grocers and community members during Check Out Hunger. These donations will help provide food and hope to many people this holiday season.”
More than 261,000 individuals across 28 counties receive food assistance from Ozarks Food Harvest, including those at the Texas County Food Pantry. Many of these individuals are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal will come from. In southwest Missouri, 1 in 5 children and 1 in 7 adults struggle with food insecurity.
Last year, Check Out Hunger collected more than $50,000 to help provide more than 200,000 meals to children, families and seniors in southwest Missouri. Since 1998, the holiday campaign has collected more than $514,000, providing 2.48 million