No Food to Spare: Foodbanks Featured in Columbus Dispatch

"With the economy still struggling, many Ohio families find themselves in a similar position while trying to put together holiday meals.

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank plans to help about 15,000 of them.

By Friday, the food bank is to have shipped 2 million pounds of food to about 500 pantries and other distributors across its 20-county service area. The holiday program produces boxes that each hold enough food to feed a four-person family for three or four days, said spokesman Colin Baumgartner. "It obviously keeps our trucks very busy."

The program is in its second year and accounts for a lot of the bank's annual distribution, which should reach 40 million pounds this year, Baumgartner said.

That's a 4 million-pound jump over last year and a sign of the rising demand that food banks throughout the state are working to manage, he said, adding that distribution by Mid-Ohio is up 44 percent over four years ago. The Cleveland Foodbank has provided 50percent more food during the past two years. As of Nov.30, Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank had distributed 38 percent more food than in the first 11 months of last year."

Read the full article from The Columbus Dispatch.

Announcing our Photo Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Trillium Family Solutions!

SHARECorps member Stephanie Soduk and HarvestCorps member Brent Sigley, along with staff at their site Trillium Family Solutions, were the winners in our Making a Difference Photo Contest!

For Make a Difference Day 2010, staff and AmeriCorps members at Trillium Family Solutions celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Ways to Work loan program. To celebrate they invited community members, staff, clients, and other AmeriCorps members to an event benefiting The Domestic Violence Project, Inc. They received a great deal of support from businesses around the community, including Quaker Steak and Lube, Subway, First Merit Bank, and many others. Trillium partnered was able to collect a large box of hygiene products and cash donations for The Domestic Violence Project. The event was a great success because Trillium was able to support a great cause while celebrating the difference one of its programs makes in the lives of its clients all year long.

Thanks to all members who submitted photos from their Make a Difference Day projects! We are truly thankful for all that you do to make your communities a better place for all of us. Keep up the great work!

Vote once each day, from now until Friday, November 5 at 5 pm!

National Pork Month: Highlighting The Ohio Pork Producers Council

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) would like to bring light to its partnership with The Ohio Pork Producers Council (OPPC), in celebration of October being National Pork Month.

Through a partnership between over 3,700 Ohio hog farmers and 12 of Ohio’s regional foodbanks, Pork Power: Partnering to Fight Hunger in Ohio, helps feed those in need within Ohio’s local communities.

To thank consumers for enjoying pork and supporting Ohio farm families during National Pork Month, Ohioans are welcome to visit www.OhioPork.org to learn more about Ohio’s hog farmers, as well as download a $2 off coupon for fresh pork accepted at any Ohio retailer.

The partnership between OASHF and OPPC, while young, has had a substantial impact on the lives of thousands of Ohioans already. Committed to donating 100,000 pounds of pork which is equivalent to 500,000 servings, Ohio’s hog farmers have contributed nearly 60,000 pounds of pork to date, which is over 289,000 meals.

Food Pantry Network of Licking County Feeds Over 2,000

From the Newark Advocate:

"The Food Pantry Network of Licking County provided more than 2,000 people with free produce Wednesday outside Indian Mound Mall.

The first giveaway of free produce to low-income residents began at 10 a.m. in the former Steve & Barry's parking lot, but people began waiting at 7 a.m. By 9 a.m., about 100 people were standing in line.

At 1:30 p.m., the Food Pantry was almost out of food, having distributed 51,169 pounds, or 40 pallets, to 650 households, or an estimated 2,000 people.

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, stationed in Columbus and provider to food banks throughout Ohio, bought the produce to distribute to those making up to 200 percent of the poverty level."

View photos from Wednesday's distribution.

Hard Facts in Northeast Ohio

In Summit County, home to the city of Akron and the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, our friends at the Job and Family Services office are taking steps to respond to the ever-growing crisis in the communities they serve.

Read more about those steps and what they mean to Summit County residents.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer: In Cuyahoga County, the number of households receiving some form of public assistance has hit 160,000 and continues to grow by about 1,000 per month, said Joseph Gauntner, director of the Employment and Family Services agency.

A broader geographic measure comes from the Cleveland Foodbank, which serves Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Astabula, Ashland and Richland counties.
The agency is on track to distribute more than 32 million pounds of food in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, an increase of 50 percent from two years ago.

Read the whole story, which highlights findings about health insurance from the recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

"Front Lines in the Recession-Wracked Economy"

A recent editorial by the Cincinnati Enquirer highlights the need to support those social service agencies, like OASHF and its member foodbanks, that are on the front lines during these tough economic times.

Clearly, a lot of families are struggling in our community with job loss, underemployment and other effects of the current recession. All this is putting great pressure on our region's social service agencies. Those agencies need our support more than ever to help keep families stable in difficult economic times.

Read the full editorial, which highlights the Freestore Foodbank and its mission to fight hunger.

Operation YP to host "2010 Hunger Summit"

"In conjunction with the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s 30th Anniversary and Hunger Action Month, Operation YP presents the 2010 Hunger Summit to be held on Wednesday, September 29, at Mid-Ohio Foodbank. This is an opportunity for community members of all ages and backgrounds to explore the issue of hunger, make a meaningful contribution to how the community responds to hunger, provide useful feedback for organizations involved in hunger-related work, and learn about ways to take action and make a difference, both personally and professionally."

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank is one of 12 OASHF member Foodbanks across the state. Find the OASHF member Foodbank serving your county!