Center for Ozarks Poverty Research

On Thurs and Fri last week, COPR held it's 3rd Annual community conference. For two days, 70 registrants came to discuss food insecurity and affordable accessible housing! We hosted the Missouri Food Action partnership on Thursday and heard from Community Partnership of the Ozarks Food Collaborative on local food insecurity related efforts, heard from Crosslines about current needs and efforts, and student Sam Wang discussed food insecurity among college students. On Friday, we heard from Drury Professor, Traci Sutter (a pioneer in tiny homes and accessibility), we heard from a panel of advocates for more accessible housing, faculty presented research, we enjoyed lunch from MSU Dietetics students, a student keynote focused disability rights history, and we heard from area hospitals on the housing needs of patients.

We are looking to seeing you all next year!!

Thank you again to our sponsors Missouri State Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, MSU Student Government, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Springfield Community Gardens, and National Avenue Christian Church!

We will do a bit more of a summary post on Monday but wanted to express our gratitude to our sponsors, for all who attended the 3rd annual conference the last two days, and especially to our PRESENTERS and PANELISTS! We value and appreciate your work and insights! More to come!

Thank you to KY3 for covering and promoting the COPR conference! We had a great day today and are looking forward to a full day tomorrow!

https://www.ky3.com/2026/04/23/missouri-state-university-hosts-conference-poverty-ozarks/

Thank you KSMU - Ozarks Public Radio for highlighting the COPR conference this Thursday and Friday!

https://www.ksmu.org/news/2026-04-22/conference-at-msu-to-focus-on-food-insecurity-as-well-as-disability-and-housing

Tomorrow is the big day! We would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to this year's COPR conference sponsors - Missouri State Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, MSU Student Government, Springfield Community Gardens, Community Foundation of the Ozarks and National Avenue Christian Church!

Last chance to register for this year’s conference (one day, two days) here:

https://forms.office.com/r/gQLN5jKavd

We would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to this year's COPR conference sponsors - Missouri State Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, MSU Student Government, Springfield Community Gardens, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, and National Avenue Christian Church! All of us in our community value your commitment to serving the underserved!

Register for this year’s conference (one day, two days, or both) here:

https://forms.office.com/r/gQLN5jKavd

We are about 10 days away! Register for this year’s conference (one day, two days, or both) here:

https://forms.office.com/r/gQLN5jKavd

In September 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would terminate future publication of the annual Household Food Security Report, a data series produced for roughly 30 years by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).
The report was the federal government’s primary, official measurement of food insecurity in the United States.The final report will cover 2024 data; no comparable annual report will be issued going forward. The report tracked food insecurity (difficulty accessing enough food for an active, healthy life) and very low food security (reduced food intake, skipped meals, hunger). The most recent data demonstrated about 1 in 7 U.S. households were food insecure, roughly 47.4 million people (including 13.8 million children), lacked consistent access to food, a and food insecurity worsened after the expiration of COVID‑era nutrition supports.

Given the emlimination of the Household Food Security Report, several independent research instituations have attempted to quantify food insecurity and hunger in the United States including The Urban Institute. Access to their 2025 data and report on food insecurity can be found at the link below!

Food Insecurity Remained High in 2025, As Safety Net Cuts Loom .pdf

Registration is now open for the 3rd Annual COPR Conference! This conference is FREE and open to the public. This year’s event will occur over two days and include a Missouri Rural Food Action Partnership Meeting on the 23rd for MRFAP state members only, with breakout sessions (open to the public) from area faculty, students, and practitioners working in the areas of health and housing in the afternoon. On the 24th, COPR will host a 3 hour event focusing on disability and housing, with more breakout sessions in the afternoon, followed by a first annual local food tour sponsored by Community Partnership of the Ozarks and EmpowerMO.

Register for this year’s conference (one day, two days, or both) here:

https://forms.office.com/r/gQLN5jKavd

We also have space available in the Strong Hall atrium for those organizations who wish to host a table at the event. This space will allow you to showcase your organization’s services and programs. If you are interested in a table, please fill out the following form (space is limited):

https://forms.office.com/r/pt3F81Mt7P

We are excited about all of this year’s events and look forward to seeing you!