A HUNGER-FREE TOMORROW
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A HUNGER-FREE TOMORROW
Our Mission
Our Work
Our Community
OUR MISSION
We heal hunger with innovative and collaborative solutions that provide food today and help create a hunger-free tomorrow. Fueled by our team, community, and partners, here’s a glance at our impact within the 2024 fiscal year:
Our Dedicated Team
“I’m inspired every day when I see how many people care about getting nutritious food to people who need it. The world is complicated, but helping others isn’t.”
– OFS Team Member
Executive Board
The OFS board is made up of leaders from diverse fields who are dedicated to the work of healing hunger and ensuring that OFS fulfills its mission.
Friends Board
The dynamic young professionals on our Friends Board use their common interest in ending childhood hunger to support our Operation Backpack program.
Our Staff
OFS employees work hard every day to rescue and distribute food, empower the community, and create long-term solutions to the problem of hunger.
OUR WORK
Building a Hunger-Free Tomorrow
In 2024, OFS completed the Healthy Food, Healthy Community Renovation Project. The guiding vision of the renovations was to build the infrastructure needed for OFS to provide even more fresh, healthy food to the community.
Key highlights include:
Warehouse
Doubled our warehouse racking space to better support our pantry partners
Cold Storage
Doubled cooler and freezer capacity for more meat, dairy, and fresh produce
Volunteer Center
Enhanced volunteer spaces to support critical work
Teaching Gardens
Installed indoor hydroponics and outdoor teaching garden
Teaching Kitchen
Built new teaching kitchen to increase nutrition IQ
Program Highlights
Healing hunger with an intentional strategy to alleviate food insecurity and create a hunger-free tomorrow
Our Reach in FY2024
Supporting Families in
25 COUNTIES & 2 STATES
through Food Distribution & Nutrition Education
14 Missouri Counties
- Cape Girardeau
- Crawford
- Franklin
- Gasconade
- Jefferson
- Lincoln
- Montgomery
- Pike
- St. Charles
- St. Francois
- St. Louis City
- St. Louis County
- Warren
- Washington
11 Illinois Counties
- Alexander
- Bond
- Calhoun
- Clinton
- Jackson
- Macoupin
- Madison
- Monroe
- St. Clair
- Washington
- Wayne
OUR COMMUNITY
We couldn’t do our work without the support of our volunteers and community partners.
Volunteers
More than 6,121 volunteers contributed their time, saving OFS $1.36 million.
Volunteers are critical to our mission. We rely on their passion and care for others, and their work saves us significant financial resources, allowing that money to be spent on helping even more people every year.
Partners
OFS works with businesses, local farms, community organizations, educational institutions, health care providers and a broad range of entities who provide resources, expertise and collaboration to support our mission.
Event Highlights
Our Generous Donors
Every single gift to Operation Food Search is a generous, caring investment in our mission to heal hunger. Thank you to our generous donors who make our work possible every day!
FY24 donors who gave up to $1,000 include 6,851 donors contributing nearly $1 million.
LEADERSHIP DONATIONS
The generosity of these gifts demonstrates a true commitment to healing hunger and empowering children, individuals and families in our region.
The Founders Circle celebrates donors whose lifetime giving reflects an enduring commitment to our mission.
IN-KIND LEADERSHIP DONATIONS
The contribution of these goods and services is vital to our ability to meet the immediate need for food in our region.
FOOD & FUND DRIVES
Food valued at $769,000 was collected from food and fund drives. These volunteer-led efforts are crucial to our ability to get food to individuals and families in our service area.
238,850
Pounds of Food
$239,427
Total Money Donations
$437,095
Total Food Value
$676,522
Total Food & Money
MONTHLY
Known as Hunger Healers, recurring donors are valued advocates who sustain our work while ensuring consistent access to the funds OFS needs to heal hunger. We appreciate this special community of OFS supporters.
Fiscal Responsibility
Operation Food Search is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that upholds the highest standards of fiscal accountability. We work tirelessly to ensure that donations are used efficiently to maximize benefit to the community we serve.
BY THE NUMBERS IN 2024
Fiscal Year: October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024