Business & Tech
Operation Food Search Raises More Than $65,000 from Give STL Day
Nonprofit has sixth highest total out of nearly 1,000 organizations
Operation Food Search (OFS), a non-profit hunger relief organization, recently raised $65,510 from Give STL Day. Proceeds will benefit OFS’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan that provides free meal distribution to the region’s children and families who need food assistance.
Give STL Day 2020 raised over $4.5 million for the region’s nonprofits, and Operation Food Search had the sixth highest total out of nearly 1,000 organizations. Presented by the Berges Family Foundation and powered by the St. Louis Community Foundation, Give STL Day is a part of the Foundation’s initiative to expand charitable giving in the community and to strengthen the local nonprofit sector.
OFS’s Emergency Response Initiative involves the distribution of more than 38,000 meals per week to select library and community center sites, as well as various school districts. This emergency plan is in addition to OFS’s typical food distribution, which helps 200,000 people per month.
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The funds will also go toward OFS’s summer meal service that feeds children and their families when school is not in session. This year’s adapted program will focus on rural partnerships, drop and go meal sites, drive-through distribution events, and mobile meal routes.
“We raised more than $50,000 compared to last year’s amount, which is a huge jump we attribute to the region’s recognition of the current pandemic,” said Kristen Wild, Executive Director at OFS. “Each and every dollar will help us accomplish our ongoing mission—to meet our community’s immediate need—and we are extremely grateful to St. Louis for its incredible support.”
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Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization that provides free food, nutrition education and innovative programs proven to reduce food insecurity. With a strategic focus aimed at ending childhood hunger, OFS empowers families and increases access to healthy and affordable food. The agency provides food and services to nearly 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis – one-third of whom are children – through a network of 330 community partners in 30 Missouri and Illinois counties. For more information, call (314) 726-5355 or visit www.OperationFoodSearch.org.