Local egg producer Opal Foods donates 280,000 eggs to Ozarks Food Harvest

The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Mar. 26—SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Neosho egg manufacturer continued what has become an annual Easter tradition over the past 16 years.

Neosho-based egg producer Opal Foods gave more than 23,000 dozen eggs, or about 280,000 eggs, to Ozarks Food Harvest, also known as The Food Bank, on March 25. It is one of the largest food banks in Southwest Missouri.

Ozarks Food Harvest said this year's gift brings Opal Foods' total donation to more than 4.6 million eggs since the manufacturer began doing it in 2008.

"This donation of eggs arrives at a crucial time as many families continue to grapple with rising food costs, particularly for protein items," Bart Brown, president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest, said in a statement. "We're so grateful for Opal Foods and their ongoing generosity during the Easter season."

Opal Foods is a franchisee of Eggland's Best and produces eggs in Missouri, Colorado and Iowa. The company, headquartered in Neosho, employs over 300 people.

Jordan Browning, a spokesman for Ozark Food Harvest, said the donation allows Ozark Food Harvest to use resources it might use to acquire more eggs or other protein sources to obtain other food staples.

"This frees up funds to buy other necessities people need," Browning said. "Demand for food, especially protein sources like eggs, has been rising to the point to where it's higher than it was during the peak of the COVID crisis."

The local egg producer worked with Certified Express to deliver eggs to The Food Bank free of charge.

Browning said those eggs will be distributed, also free of charge, to the agencies that can deliver them to the families that need them.

"The Opal Foods team is delighted to mark our 16th year of collaboration with Ozarks Food Harvest during the Easter season," said Phillip Hutchinson, controller of Opal Foods. "We are equally pleased to provide wholesome product, rich in protein, to the families of Southwest Missouri."

Online For more about Opal Foods, go to https://www.opal-foods.com. For more about Ozarks Food Harvest, go to https://ozarksfoodharvest.org. {related_content_uuid}0f5c5bee-d2bd-407b-8317-cb87e8042b0d{/related_content_uuid}