Tag Archives: Food

Arvest Million Meals Initiative to battle food insecurity

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JOPLIN, Mo. – Arvest Bank begins its Million Meals Initiative. It’s a program designed to fight hunger in the more than 135 area communities by supplying donations to local food banks.

Officials say every dollar donated provides the equivalent of five meals for hungry families. Donations stay local and goes to the following partners:

Kansas

  • Pittsburg Schools

Oklahoma

  • Miami First United Methodist Church Backpack Program

Missouri

  • Carthage Bright Futures
  • Joplin Bright Futures
  • Lamar Good Samaritan Shop
  • Lockwood Ministerial Alliance
  • Monett Community Kitchen
  • Neosho/Newton County Food Basket Brigade
  • Nevada Community Outreach
  • Webb City Cares
  • Carl Junction Bright Futures

You can make a donation at Arvest location or through the Arvest Go mobile App.  More information is available at arvest.com/millionmeals.

Neosho High School FFA selling homegrown plants

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NEOSHO, Mo. – The Neosho High School FFA chapter begins its annual plant sale. Items on sale were all grown in the school’s greenhouse.

The sale includes various bedding plants, herbs, vegetables and hanging baskets. A full list can be found below. It lasts from Tuesday April 20 to Thursday April 22 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday April 24 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Lamar Food Distribution Center Receives Double the Donations

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(LAMAR, Mo.) Helping people out is the number one priority for one Southwest Missouri food distribution center. And to their surprise, they’ve received more help this year than others.

“It’s just unbelievable how many people are stepping up and donating things,” says Lamar Good Samaritan Shop Director Chris Elswick.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamar Good Samaritan Shop Director Chris Elswick says that they have received double the donations than they have in previous years.

“We got cash donations from individuals that stepped up and wanted to give food to make sure kids had food, another one designated it to just go wherever we needed it, we’re getting a $10,000 donation here, and another $10,000 we’ve had a number of donations in meat,” Elswick says.

While these donations help more than just people in Barton County, their priority is people in their community, like Dian Schneider.

“I brought my mother with me this time. My mother will not accept charity. I just told her ‘get in the truck, we’re going somewhere’, and she doesn’t eat much because she can’t afford it,” Schneider says.

While many people can’t afford food or get help with their utilities, the Lamar Good Samaritan Shop has also received a grant of $9,000 from The Community Foundation of the Ozarks to help the cause.

“That went to help people, mainly senior citizens on their utilities, a lot of them were having difficulties, so we contacted churches, the city, Golden City, Liberal and Lamar and they gave us people that were really needing help,” Elswick says.

“I’ve ben helped out a lot by this Good Samaritan place, and I make sure I visit all the time and buy knick-knacks and things to help them to support the good pantry,” Schneider says.

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile rolls into Joplin this weekend

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JOPLIN, Mo. – Joplin residents have the opportunity to ‘ketchup’ with the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile this weekend.

The 27-foot-long hotdog on wheels will be at Cunningham Park Friday April 9 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Roller City Skate Saturday April 10 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and again from 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Miami organization hosts Chili Smackdown to raise funds for youth programs

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MIAMI, Okla. –The Elks Lodge in Miami is a community-based organization that runs multiple youth programs. These programs require money, which caused the lodge to brainstorm fundraising ideas.

On Sunday, they decided to put together a Chili Smackdown. This event was organized in as little as two weeks.

“We’ve got door prizes, we’ve got silent Auction things, they pounded the pavement, they went business to business getting donations, gift certificates, I mean all that stuff, and like I said in two weeks, they pulled off a huge accomplishment,”  said Robin Priest, who works at the lodge.

The “smackdown” included 20 different chilis, where event participants got to judge their favorites.

“We have a category for the best named Chili, we just have a lot of people who really kind of took this on and made it happen,” said Priest.

The money from this event goes towards initiatives for their youth holiday programs.

“Towards our children’s activity funds, for our Easter program, our Halloween program, and our Christmas program. It just goes to whatever we can put back into the community, wherever we can help.”

Martin Priest entered a half sausage and half ground beef chili into the mix but says he cares more about the cause that the event helps rather than winning.

“Yeah it is a competition, I don’t really care, it doesn’t matter to me if I win or not. It’s helping raise money for the lodge. I was the chair on the Christmas basket committee one year where we gave out food, if a family has children we give out presents as well, and it’s pretty nice being able to help people out like that,”  he said.

In addition to the chili, the event also contained a hula hoop contest as well as a pool tournament, ensuring more of the community would show up to support this cause.

Local Walmart stores shift to self-checkout

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JOPLIN, Mo. – Walmart stores in the four-states are undergoing big changes.

Walmart Corporate Communications confirms that the Neighborhood Market at 25145 Demott Drive in Joplin has gone to all self-checkouts. Walmart tells us after undergoing a front-end remodel, the store now has 12 self-checkout registers, one pay station and 0 traditional registers, increasing the total number of registers by two. They say before the remodel, the store had seven traditional registers and four self-checkout registers.

Walmart tells KOAM that the store did not loose any associates, instead making cashiers self-checkout hosts, online grocery pickup and other front end positions. Walmart says ten new associates have been hired, and they are currently hiring ten more.

But that’s not the only store seeing big changes. The Walmart Supercenter in Miami, Oklahoma at 2415 N Main St is also going to feature mostly self-checkout registers.

The store is currently undergoing a remodel that should be completed in April. Before the remodel, the store had 12 traditional registers, ten self-checkout registers and two pay centers. Once the remodel is complete, there will be 24 self-checkout registers, four traditional registers and the two pay stations. Again, Walmart says they did not let anyone go, and that they are currently hiring for additional associates.

Walmart also says that hosts are available to help customers with problems they encounter during the self-checkout process, or even to assist someone that needs help with the entire process.

KOAM will be speaking with the Independent Living Center about the challenges self-checkout registers present for those with disabilities, and have more details tonight.

Tyson Foods provides incentive for workers to receive COVID-19 vaccine

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NOEL, Mo. – Tyson Foods is providing an incentive for their employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Not only are they offering free vaccines at their plants, they are also compensating their workers who wish to be vaccinated elsewhere.

Derek Burleson, a spokesperson for Tyson foods states it comes down to convenience. 

“Making sure that our team members know that we want them to get vaccinated wherever that is,” says Burleson.

He says anyone who wishes to be vaccinated off site will be compensated up to four hours of regular pay.

Robbie Waldo, a Noel Tyson employee of three years says he loves the idea of being vaccinated at his workplace.

“I don’t have to go nowhere else I can just do it right here,” he says.

Waldo hasn’t gotten his vaccine yet, but he is excited for when it does arrive.

“They’re having it shipped here and they set up a special medical deal and a trailer and they’re gonna do it all in there, state of the art looks nice,” he says.

Waldo adds that the company’s vaccine incentive and their response to the virus has helped him feel safe.

“I feel safer in there than I do walking around any of these stores,” says Waldo.

Waldo says he and his friends who work with him are feeling hopeful from the vaccine incentive.

“We’re all geared up ready to get it.”

Burleson says this incentive is just the next step in Tyson’s response to the pandemic.

“Our number one priority has been how can we keep our team members healthy, how can we keep our team members safe, and providing the vaccine and providing incentives to take the vaccine, is really just the next step in that process.”

Joplin bar holds biscuits and gravy competition

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JOPLIN,Mo- Rumor’s Cocktail Lounge is always looking for something to spice up their Sunday’s, or “Sunday-fun-day”, as the owner Craig Periman calls it.

“We’re always looking for new and exciting events to bring people in,” says Craig.

 This Sunday is no different, except they had an even bigger reason to get people excited about the upcoming week. 

“We decided what a better way than to do biscuits and gravy, after the horrible weather we’ve had all week,” says Craig.

 It started when the event organizer, Justin Kirk’s wife made a post on Facebook, asking who had the best biscuits and gravy in town. When all of his friends in the area chimed in, he knew he could create an event out of this.

“So I made a hashtag, biscuits and gravy challenge 2021, and my friend Cassie is a bartender here so she said ‘hey let’s do it at Rumor’s.’ So it just got thrown together in a few days and now here we are.” Says Justin.

The event was created for everyone in the area to share their recipes with each other.

The contest worked by having participants bring in their best biscuits and gravy, then everyone who showed up got to try all the recipes and decide on a winner.

Because today’s event was so impromptu, the turnout wasn’t as big as Justin had hoped. He says he hopes he can do this again in the future, just with more people and more recipes to try.

“But for what it is, I think it turned out really well,” he says.