Community Outreach and On My Own, Inc. to bring Mobile Food Pantry to Nevada

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Community Outreach in Nevada has announced arrangements for the Ozarks Food Harvest Mobile Food Pantry to begin making every-other-month visits to Nevada. The first visit will be Thursday, Feb. 7. On My Own Inc., the area's Independent Living Center headquartered in Nevada, is providing the financial sponsorship for the mobile food pantry visits.

Community Outreach Director Barbara Long stated that she has long been concerned about meeting the needs of the elderly and disabled residents of the area who are on a fixed income and receive very few food stamps.

She believes that the mobile food pantry will help to fill a tremendous need to serve those individuals and others in the community.

On My Own, Inc. Services for Independent Living Director Pat Chambers said his agency is pleased to be able to financially provide for this much-needed program to area residents, many of whom benefit from the programs and services of the non-residential Independent Living Center.

The Ozarks Harvest Mobile Food Pantry is a tractor-trailer truck provided by the Rotary and Rotaract Clubs of Southwest Missouri. The truck will bring a load of 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of food and supplies every other month to the Missouri National Guard armory at 1400 West Cherry in Nevada.

Long was able to make arrangements with the armory to bring the truck indoors so that inclement weather does not force the cancellation of the scheduled visits.

Families and/or individuals who would like to sign up for the mobile food pantry should contact Community Outreach at 229 North Cedar in Nevada or call (417) 667-4339. Distribution will take place between 10 a.m. and noon. Distribution will be stopped at exactly 12 o'clock without exception according to the terms of the agreement with Ozarks Food Harvest.

During a presentation to the Nevada Rotary Club on Jan. 17, Long noted that about 200 families were signed up for the event at the time.

Community Outreach and On My Own, Inc hope that the mobile food pantry visits will assist another 300 to 350 families that are elderly, disabled or have been unable to qualify for other programs. Foodstuffs and other supplies not distributed will be taken to Community Outreach to supplement their existing commodities and emergency food distribution programs.

For more information on enrollment and sign up deadlines for the Ozarks Food Harvest Mobile Food Pantry contact Community Outreach at their office at 229 North Cedar in Nevada. The office phone number is (417) 667-4339.

The Mobile Food Pantry is scheduled to return for scheduled visits to Nevada on the first Thursdays of April, June, August, October and December.

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