WOFB, National Guard distribute food
For a lot of people, this year has been particularly difficult. The number of hurricanes has been so abundent that the National Weather Service ran out of its typical names and has now turned to the Greek alphabet.
Wildfires on the west coast were so devastating in California and Oregon that residents of Seattle were ordered to wear face masks — not necessarily because of a pandemic, but because the smog was so bad.
And it’s been the year of COVID-19, which shuttered the economy earlier this year and, after an increase over the fall months, is doing so again.
But shuttering the economy can have devastating consequences for some families, who may have to turn to unconventional methods in order to get food.
Tommie Harner, CEO for the West Ohio Food Bank, said there was a 49% increase in food distribution within Auglaize County between 2019 and 2020. With many families teetering on the edge of financial crisis, they may be looking for more help.
“We’re trying to reach out,” Harner said.
And according to Rev. Becky Sunday at St. Paul United Church of Christ, there has been an increase in the number of families attending the church’s Take- Out Tuesday program.
“We have seen those numbers slowly increase,” Sunday said. “And now … those numbers are holding steady, just shy of 300 meals we’re serving every Tuesday.”
Sunday knew there was need and wanted to do her part, which was why her church partnered with the West Ohio Food Bank to help distribute food last week at the Auglaize County Engineer’s garage, located at 1014 Blackhoof St.
“We’re providing this food distribution to help get food into the homes of those who are in need so they can have food during the holiday,” Harner said.
Why the engineer’s garage? It made sense, at least according to Douglas Reinhart, the Auglaize County Engineer.
“Not knowing how bad the weather could be the third week of November, [they] wanted to know if they
could use our complex ... to distribute food (indoors),” Reinhart said. “I said it’s a great idea.”
Food was distributed by members of all branches of the Ohio National Guard and volunteers from St. Paul UCC in the form of a no-touch drive-thru.
Mark Jarvis, a volunteer, was eager to help. He felt compelled to help because of the challenges this particular year has brought.
“It’s a time … when we should be thinking of our neighbors and fellow citizens,” Jarvis said. “This is a tangible way which we can serve those people.”
MSgt. John Harr from the Ohio Air National Guard has been doing this since September and felt it was his job to help wherever he could, saying he believed there were “people that need food. I like providing for them.”
Based off the number of cars lined up for food distribution by 10 a. m., that was certainly true. One estimate had 120 cars lined up before 10:30 a. m., with three lines running parallel and next to each other in the parking lot across the street.
Jason Aldrich, communications and public relations manager at the West Ohio Food Bank, wasn’t surprised.
“The turnout has been unbelievable,” Aldrich said. “The need of course is way up. We’re doing a record number of pounds of food distributed.”
Aldrich also believes a big reason for the record turnout was the state of the economy,
with people being laid- off and losing their jobs. He noted a number of new visitors who may not have been used to asking for help or assistance.
“The need is definitely there and it seems to not be going away as long as the restrictions with the pandemic are with us and we have to live with those,” Aldrich said.
Those waiting to receive assistance were certainly grateful.
“With times like this, it’s pretty cool that they would do something like this with hard times through COVID and everything,” said Rhonda Kohler of Wapakoneta.
Jessica Eyanson, who was waiting in line with her son Joshua, agreed.
“I am currently jobless and my husband is the sole provider and this is helping my family of five with food and stuff for the holiday season,” Eyanson said. “I just [want to] thank the West Ohio Food Bank and … National Guard for helping out.”
According to Harner, the food bank serves 11 counties along with partner agencies in Auglaize County.
Harner estimated more than 200 families may have attended, which is why the food bank brought two trucks carrying a little more than 20,000 pounds of food.
Sunday estimated the amount of food each family received could be enough to last for an entire month, depending on the size of the family.
The food included potatoes, onions, apples, dairy, canned items, protein items, dairy and turkey. The turkey was a surprise for the food bank, but not Sunday, who secretly purchased 200 turkeys from a local store.
“We thought it would be a nice gesture to brighten local families’ Thanksgiving holidays,” Sunday said.
Sunday was also supportive of the types of meals served by West Ohio Food Bank.
“They usually have a pretty good balance of proteins and they’ve often had produce through the Farmers to Families program,” Sunday added. “They usually try to have a pretty good balance of food items that can make balanced meals.”
Harner noted that with the increased demand for help, the food bank is asking for volunteers.
“I know we’re based in Lima, but we do serve a large area,” Harner said. “We service 11 counties … and we have partner agencies in Auglaize County.”
If you are interested in helping West Ohio Food Bank, you can reach them at 419-222- 7946 or WOFB.org.
There is also a text alert system individuals can sign up for to get information regarding distribution.