A holiday collaboration between St. Louis-area Hardee’s® restaurants and KMOX’s The Dave Glover Show (DGS) continues to make a significant impact on childhood hunger, raising $45,000 for the Operation Backpack program.
This latest contribution propels a seven-year donation total to $625,000 – providing weekly sacks of kid-friendly, shelf-stable food to help thousands of students through the weekend when school meals aren’t available.
“This year, through the generosity of our listeners and fellow community members, we’re able to provide weekend meals for 2,700 children,” said Dave Glover, host of DGS. “To those around St. Louis who helped us rally around this incredibly important cause: Thank you.”
The annual fundraiser, held at area Hardee’s restaurants in December, collected both monetary donations and nonperishable food items, with donors receiving commemorative DGS bumper stickers.
“People and community are at the heart of our business,” said Tim Weigel, Director of Field Marketing for Hardee’s. “Working alongside Operation Food Search and DGS has shown us the incredible impact we can have when business, media, and community come together.”
The Operation Backpack program discreetly provides students and their families with food for the weekend, ensuring they can return to school on Monday ready to learn and thrive. It spans 15 counties in Missouri and Illinois and distributes more than 6,500 food packages weekly.
“The sustained commitment from both DGS and Hardee’s has been transformative for our Operation Backpack program,” said Kristen Wild, OFS President and CEO. “Reaching $625,000 in total contributions isn’t just a number – it represents thousands of children who have had reliable access to nutritious food during vulnerable weekend hours. It demonstrates how community-driven initiatives can create lasting pathways to ending childhood hunger.”
OFS serves 200,000 people each month, distributing more than $30 million worth of food and necessities annually.
