Community Foundation of the Ozarks

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is pleased to announce the Ozarks Million Dollar Hunger Challenge. Made possible by a $100,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation State Program and a partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest, this program allows CFO affiliate community foundations to raise  dollars that will be matched 1:1 to fight hunger in their local communities. The program will leverage the initial $100,000 gift into $200,000 which will procure $1 million worth of food through Ozarks Food Harvest, the only food bank serving one-third of Missouri.

Twenty-one  affiliates have chosen to participate in this program which was available to those CFO affiliates that fall within Ozarks Food Harvest’s 29-county service area. A complete of list participating affiliates is located at the end of this story.

“It’s only natural that we partner with the Walmart Foundation and CFO since our service areas in this part of the state literally mirror each other,” said Bart Brown, president and CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest.

Hunger challenge funds have been established as component funds of each participating affiliate community foundation. The matching opportunity runs through June 30, 2010.

“The challenging economic environment we’re facing calls for us to identify new resources to help with hunger, and make the existing ones stretch further,” said Brian Fogle, executive vice president of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. “The generous Walmart grant provides the catalyst for our affiliates to raise matching funds, and the strength and connections of Ozarks Food Harvest insure those funds will be used in the most effective manner to address hunger in our Ozarks region.”

This partnership was unveiled following the February 4th announcement of a new landmark hunger study which found that Ozarks Food Harvest is serving 155,000 individuals annually. Ozarks Food Harvest-The Food Bank distributed seven milion pounds of food during its last fiscal year, the highest distribution in its 27-year history. To view the complete study and learn more, please visit ozarksfoodharvest.org.

Ozarks Million Dollar Hunger Challenge participating affiliates include:
- Aurora Area Community Foundation
- Bolivar Area Community Foundation
- Cassville Community Foundation
- DACO Community Foundation
- Dallas County Community Foundation
- El Dorado Springs Community Foundation
- Finley River Community Foundation
- Houston Community Foundation
- Jacks Fork Community Foundation
- Marshfield Area Community Foundation
- Mtn. Grove Area Community Foundation
- Nixa Community Foundation
- Oregon County Community Foundation
- Ozark County Community Foundation
- Greater Seymour Area Foundation
- Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri (Carthage & Joplin)
- Stockton Community Foundation
- Table Rock Lake Community Foundation
- Taney County Community Foundation
-  Community Foundation of West Plains

CAPTION: From left to right: Skip Tinney, market manager, Walmart; Sharon Whitehill Gray, president, Nixa Community Foundation & CFO board member; Leigh Hall, Nixa Community Foundation board member; Brian Fogle, CFO; Betty Ann Rogers, Nixa Community Foundation board member; and Bart Brown, president/CEO, Ozarks Food Harvest.

Michelle Ducre, executive director of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc., has announced that her organization has received a $625,000 bequest from the late Guthrie Gilmore. The Guthrie Gilmore Fund will benefit three charities that were important to Mr. Gilmore: the First Presbyterian Church of Carthage, American Red Cross, and First United Methodist Church of Carthage. Mr. Gilmore and his wife, Harriet, were members of First Presbyterian Church, where Guthrie served as a deacon. Mr. Gilmore was a veteran of World War II, where he served as a First Sergeant in the U.S. Army. After returning home from the war, Mr. Gilmore worked as a farmer until his retirement.

Carthage attorney Kevin Checkett provided professional assistance to Mr. Gilmore’s planned giving document, and additional support was provided by Doug Crandall of Southwest Missouri Bank Trust. This is the third bequest gift received by the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. during the past six months.

The Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. was established in 1999. It serves Barton, Jasper, McDonald, and Newton counties. The foundation currently has 60 different funds and distributed $640,356 in charitable grants during the past fiscal year. It’s total charitable assets are approximately $5.5 million.

The Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. has been a regional leader in promoting charitable planned giving. In fact, in its relatively short history, the foundation already has garnered 8 Legacy Funds via bequest, which combine for more than $950,000 in philanthropic funding. This movement is supported by a strong local Legacy Society, which currently has 11 members. Legacy Societies recognize individuals and families who have made charitable planned giving commitments and provide momentum for local philanthropy efforts. Lori Smith is the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc.’s board chair.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is proud to support the work of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. For more information contact Michelle Ducre, 417-359-5534.

Leaving a bequest is a wonderful way to support the organizations you love after you pass on, and CFO can assist these plans. Henrietta Hedge was a retired schoolteacher with a passion for volunteerism and a heart filled with generosity. She loved her church, the First United Methodist Church of Carthage, and upon her passing left $100,000 in an endowment to be held with the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. to support the organization. Now the First United Methodist Church of Carthage will always remember Ms. Hedge for her thoughtful long-term support of their congregation.

Thoughtful planned giving has played a significant role in the growth of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, providing new life to our towns, schools, and the non-profits we serve. A planned gift is simply a legacy to a charitable entity made through a deferred/intentional gift that keeps resources here, working for the benefit of organizations that serve our community. To learn more about planned giving and how you can give something back to your community, visit the planned giving section of our website.

For more information on becoming a Legacy Society member and leaving a planned charitable gift, please contact one of our offices in Springfield, Carthage or West Plains.