Freestore Foodbank makes another food distribution
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Approximately 200 people received 50 pounds of food Monday at the Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene courtesy of the Freestore Foodbank.
Families lined up for registration and tickets inside the church off U.S. 50 east, then gathered outside, while local volunteers unloaded boxes of nonperishable foods from a mobile food pantry.
“The purpose of the mobile food pantry is to ‘fill the gap’ in areas with great need for food and groceries,” said Anita Waver, Freestore agency relations manager. “This is an innovative way of providing groceries to families in need.”
The Freestore Foodbank has made multiple visits to Highland County this year, including stops in Hillsboro, Greenfield and Lynchburg.
Waver said the Freestore always partners with local agencies in order to provide food for families in the greatest need. “We’ve partnered with Highland County Community Action Organization, the Greenfield Area Christian Center, Samaritan Outreach Services and local churches.”
At an earlier food distribution, Julia Wise, HCCAO executive director, told The Highland County Press, “A lot of organizations help us locate families with real needs.
“The Turning Point program, Help Me Grow, Job and Family Services, One-Stop, all have helped.”
Wise said the Freestore Foodbank has been offering assistance to area families due to Highland County’s state-high unemployment rate (16.1 percent) and job losses related to the DHL closing and other industry shutdowns.
Waver said the Freestore and local volunteers receive lots of thanks from those in line for food. “Many people thank us, but not so much in words alone. You can see the appreciation in their eyes.”
Part of the registration process includes asking recipients what the gift of food means to their families.
“Highland County has been wonderful as a community coming together to help people,” Waver said.
The next scheduled visit in Highland County by the Freestore Foodbank mobile pantry is March 15 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Lynchburg. Tickets will be available for approximately 150 individuals. Samaritan Outreach Services will be assisting with the distribution. Other scheduled visits by the Freestore include: April 8 from 10 a.m.-noon at Community Action in Hillsboro; April 26 in Greenfield, with the time and location to be announced later; and April 29 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Lynchburg.
The foodbank serves 20 counties in southern Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana.
In addition to local volunteers and agencies such as Community Action, other contributors include Kraft Foods, Kroger and Community Markets. The Freestore Foodbank, based in Cincinnati, distributes 10 million pounds of food annually through a network of more than 400 local member agencies such as soup kitchens and shelters, food pantries, churches, daycare and senior centers, and many other community and social service organizations.
The Freestore Foodbank adheres to these core values: “We will not accept hunger. We embrace diversity. We are in service with our neighbors. Those we serve can succeed independently. We collaborate with others in our region.”
For more information or to contribute to the Freestore, log on to www.freestorefoodbank.org or call Anita Waver at (513) 482-4523.[[In-content Ad]]
Families lined up for registration and tickets inside the church off U.S. 50 east, then gathered outside, while local volunteers unloaded boxes of nonperishable foods from a mobile food pantry.
“The purpose of the mobile food pantry is to ‘fill the gap’ in areas with great need for food and groceries,” said Anita Waver, Freestore agency relations manager. “This is an innovative way of providing groceries to families in need.”
The Freestore Foodbank has made multiple visits to Highland County this year, including stops in Hillsboro, Greenfield and Lynchburg.
Waver said the Freestore always partners with local agencies in order to provide food for families in the greatest need. “We’ve partnered with Highland County Community Action Organization, the Greenfield Area Christian Center, Samaritan Outreach Services and local churches.”
At an earlier food distribution, Julia Wise, HCCAO executive director, told The Highland County Press, “A lot of organizations help us locate families with real needs.
“The Turning Point program, Help Me Grow, Job and Family Services, One-Stop, all have helped.”
Wise said the Freestore Foodbank has been offering assistance to area families due to Highland County’s state-high unemployment rate (16.1 percent) and job losses related to the DHL closing and other industry shutdowns.
Waver said the Freestore and local volunteers receive lots of thanks from those in line for food. “Many people thank us, but not so much in words alone. You can see the appreciation in their eyes.”
Part of the registration process includes asking recipients what the gift of food means to their families.
“Highland County has been wonderful as a community coming together to help people,” Waver said.
The next scheduled visit in Highland County by the Freestore Foodbank mobile pantry is March 15 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Lynchburg. Tickets will be available for approximately 150 individuals. Samaritan Outreach Services will be assisting with the distribution. Other scheduled visits by the Freestore include: April 8 from 10 a.m.-noon at Community Action in Hillsboro; April 26 in Greenfield, with the time and location to be announced later; and April 29 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Lynchburg.
The foodbank serves 20 counties in southern Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana.
In addition to local volunteers and agencies such as Community Action, other contributors include Kraft Foods, Kroger and Community Markets. The Freestore Foodbank, based in Cincinnati, distributes 10 million pounds of food annually through a network of more than 400 local member agencies such as soup kitchens and shelters, food pantries, churches, daycare and senior centers, and many other community and social service organizations.
The Freestore Foodbank adheres to these core values: “We will not accept hunger. We embrace diversity. We are in service with our neighbors. Those we serve can succeed independently. We collaborate with others in our region.”
For more information or to contribute to the Freestore, log on to www.freestorefoodbank.org or call Anita Waver at (513) 482-4523.[[In-content Ad]]