Thursday, January 15, 2015YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley distributed 9.5 million pounds of food -- the equivalent of more than 6.3 million meals -- to hungry people in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties last year, the agency reported this morning. The past year represented the fourth consecutive year that distribution exceeded nine million pounds, with an increase of 368,000 pounds over 2013.
“We are pleased in our efforts to meet the need, but saddened that the need is so great,” said Mike Iberis, Second Harvest executive director.
Despite a slight improvement in the economy, the rate of poverty in the Mahoning Valley remains above the national average. Last year, the 153 member agencies of Second Harvest fed an average of more than 15,000 people each week.
“Unfortunately, we don’t see a lot on the horizon to give us hope that 2015 will see fewer hungry people, but we are grateful so many donors and volunteers support our efforts and those of our member agencies to provide food when and where it’s needed in our community,” Iberis said.
In 2014, Second Harvest increased distribution not only through member agencies but by expanding the BackPack Program, which provides food to school children on weekends, and the Mobile Pantry Program, which takes food to outlying areas where there are no pantries or other sources for emergency food assistance.
“We are continually looking at ways to get more food to more people more efficiently,” Iberis said. “This means not only cultivating new agencies in outlying and underserved areas, but also providing immediate food assistance through the mobile pantry program.”
In additional, the Food Bank is committed to providing hungry children, seniors, veterans and families in the Valley with more nutritious foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Second Harvest solicits, stores and distributes food to hunger-relief organizations in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties. It distributes donated food and U.S. Department of Agriculture commodities that are distributed to 153 hunger-relief organizations throughout its tri-county service area. These member agencies include church pantries, homeless shelters and soup kitchens, shelters for battered women, and after-school programs.
The Food Bank also educates the community about hunger and advocates for the poor.
“Our ability to distribute more food is, in no small part, due to the donors who give so generously, the thousands of volunteers who come each week, food donors who give on a regular basis, the support we receive from the businesses that conduct food drives and fundraisers throughout the year, and the numerous in-kind donors who maintain our vehicles, provide gasoline for our trucks and publish our newsletter,” Iberis said.
SOURCE: Second Harvest Food Bank
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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