Holidays are busy time for Pass it On

Need for food, clothing, furniture services grows

For Lorain’s Pass it On, once the holiday season rolls around, it’s crunch time.

Between running a food, clothing and furniture drive, a boxing club year-round and preparing for the organization’s annual children’s Christmas program, all hands are on deck, no matter how few, said Theresa Frasure, coordinator of the nonprofit Pass it On.

“A lot of people can’t even tell what goes on inside here,” she said. “We’re the only furniture bank in Lorain County. We serve the whole county.”

Located at the Vine of Hope Community Center, 1310 Colorado Ave. in Lorain, since 1999, Pass it On serves 18,000 families in the county and is funded through donations and income from the two churches housed in the facility, Iglesia Pentecostal “Puerta De Sanidad” and Iglesia del Salvador Aposento Alto.

Frasure, who has been with Pass it On for 12 years, said that need keeps on growing.

“There’s such a need out there; that need is growing,” she said. “We certainly get a lot of hurricane victims moving into the area like from Puerto Rico and down South.”

Besides director Pastor Kelly Mendez and Frasure, there are four to six regular volunteers who help unload trucks and monitor the building.

“The regular (volunteers) that we have are very dedicated and they came to the organization just like I did: through a need,” Frasure said.

Clothing and furniture often is donated to Pass it On from loyal locals, while food is purchased through Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, 5510 Baumhart Road in Lorain, although food donations also are received, she said.

Residents can call Pass it On to set up an appointment to shop for clothing with a photo identification card.

Applications for furniture shopping can be filled out at the location from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and requires a photo identification and proof of residency, like a lease or utility bill, Frasure said.

For those unemployed yet physically able recipients of furniture, they are required to either pitch in 25 hours of volunteer hours with Pass it On or give a suggested donation amount.

“They feel like they’re doing something for it, and it helps us out,” Frasure said.

The food bank will open Dec. 18 and participants may take 15 items of choice, not including bread and pastries, meats and produce.

At 1 p.m., Dec. 22., Pass it On will host a children’s Christmas program, which allows children in the county in need to participate in carols and receive a gift and stocking from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.

“We scrambled to get donations because, obviously, it’s Christmas,” Frasure said. “So, we give them new clothes, some shoes, coats, toys. Then we give them a stocking filled with fruits, nuts and candy.”

“There’s such a need out there; that need is growing,” she said. “We certainly get a lot of hurricane victims moving into the area like from Puerto Rico and down South.”

— Theresa Frasure, coordinator of Pass it On

JORDANA JOY — MORNING JOURNAL Regular Pass it On volunteers Shelly Lesczynske, 64, of Lorain, left, and Daniel Quinones, 52, of Lorain wrap gifts for the nonprofit’s upcoming children’s Christmas program on Dec. 22.