WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The next prequalification for the Ozarks Food Harvest Mobile Food Pantry will be from 4 to 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, October 5, at the West Plains Public Library Community Room, 750 W. Broadway.
October’s mobile food pantry is being sponsored by the Lelia Heuer Foundation.
Those eligible to apply for this assistance include area families with children ages birth through 18 who live within Howell County. This includes the communities of West Plains, Willow Springs and Mountain View. Previously, the criteria only included families who lived within the boundaries of the West Plains R-7 School District or surrounding rural school districts.
Students enrolled at Missouri State University-West Plains and the South Central Career Center also are eligible, organizers said, provided they meet income guidelines. Missouri State students must present their student identification cards and a current class schedule in person; they may not send them with a family member. Families will receive only one voucher per family.
Those who apply must bring the following documentation to the prequalification:
• A driver’s license or photo ID;
• Current income or unemployment verification for all adults age 19 and over living within the household. Payroll stubs or printouts to verify income must be within the last 90 days;
• Proof of Howell County residency such as a voter registration card, property tax bill, electric bill or other mail received at the current Howell County address. Proof of Howell County residency does not apply to Missouri State-West Plains or South Central Career Service students;
• Proof of children’s names and ages from Medicaid cards, shot records, grade cards or birth certificates. Social Security cards will not be accepted as proof of children’s names and ages;
• Telephone number.
Volunteers will verify documentation of those seeking assistance at the prequalification and give vouchers for the date of the truck delivery. Families will receive only one voucher. Only people receiving vouchers during the scheduled prequalification time at the library will receive food from the truck during the October delivery, organizers stressed, adding vouchers must be received every month for truck delivery. There will be no exceptions.
The Ozarks Food Harvest Mobile Food Pantry provides food and grocery products for up to 250 qualifying families each month. The first delivery arrived April 13, 2010. The next prequalification date is Nov. 2, 2016.
Organizers said it is hoped community agencies and groups will sponsor successive months for $1,000 per month. In addition to this month’s sponsor, the following community organizations, businesses and individuals have sponsored previous months or are planning to sponsor future months: Salvation Army, Colton Johnson, Victory Family Worship Center, Grace Community Church, Burton Creek Medical Clinic, Christos House, Sunrise Rotary, Noon Rotary, First Church of God, Kiwanis Club, First Christian Church, the Girl Scouts, West Plains Ba Hai group, Dale and Jan Rickert, West Vue Nursing Home, West Plains Electric Supply, Word of Life Ministry, United Freewill Baptist Church, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Renee Cawvey, Willow Springs General Baptist Church, Rick and Sherri Jolliff, West Plains Daily Quill employees, Bill and Pam Hutchings, Unitarian Universalist Church of West Plains, Bethel Baptist Church, Reba Barnhart, Hazel Evins, Stewart-Morrison Redi-Mix, Greater Ozarks Marine Corps League, Young Adults Over 50 Class at Bethel Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Jerome Quinn, Elizabeth Grisham Bennett, Rabi Narayan Sahoo, West Plains High School Class of 1967, the 2015 Zizzer Football Team, Mary and Norbert Scism, Curt and Paula Brown, James and Shirley Newberry, John and Ruth Hall, and the Greater Ozarks Marine Corps.
The Lelia Heuer Foundation of Springfield sponsored the first six months of the food distribution and later granted requests to sponsor an additional 24 months. More sponsors are needed to ensure the project continues without interruption.
The mobile pantry is designed not to duplicate, but instead supplement services already being provided by area food banks, organizers said, adding volunteers are needed for prequalification dates, as well as distribution dates.
For more information about the Ozarks Food Harvest Mobile Food Pantry project, go to the website, or if you are interested in volunteering or donating, contact Sherri or Kayla at 417-256-5556.