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.