Feed Lake County drive kicks off

United Way seeks help with food campaign

United Way of Lake County will kick off its 28th annual Feed Lake County campaign beginning March 2.

The campaign, presented by the Mentor office of Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., runs through April 30. The wealth management firm has partnered with UWLC as its Health Impact Champion and is spearheading the collective fight against hunger.

“Benjamin F. Edwards cares about the community they serve and we, and our community, are lucky to have them on our side,” said UWLC President and CEO Jennifer McCarty.

According to the nonprofit, a total of 17,289 Lake County residents live in poverty and 25,770 residents live with food insecurity — one in nine residents totaling 11.2 percent of the population.

Inquiries for food rank No. 1 among all inquiries for help that Lifeline Inc.’s 2-1-1 information referral service receives. Last year, the community action agency received nearly 9,000 inquiries for food assistance.

Now, UWLC is looking for support and asking residents and organizations to consider helping in one of the following ways:

• Organize a food drive at your company, organization, church or neighborhood and donate the food items and funds to United Way of Lake County.

• Make a monetary donation. This can be done online at www.uwlc.org/ feed or by mailing a check payable to United Way of Lake County to 9285 Progress Parkway, Mentor, OH, 44094. Every $5 donated is enough to provide 20 meals to someone suffering from hunger.

• Donate non-perishable food. Most needed items include pasta sauce and pasta; syrup and pancake mix; Bisquick; canned fruit; peanut butter and jelly; canned black beans; pinto beans; peas and mixed vegetables; canned/boxed soup; stews and meal; macaroni and cheese; Spam; chicken, ham and tuna; rice; cereal; breakfast bars; juice; baby food; and popcorn. Toilet paper and personal hygiene products are also needed. A list of food dropoff locations can be found at uwlc.org.

• Take part in the organization’s annual Dine to Donate event on April 14 by eating breakfast, lunch or dinner at one of over thirty

participating Lake County restaurants. A list of all participating restaurants who will donate a portion of their sales from the day to Feed Lake County will be posted in the upcoming weeks at www.uwlc.org.

The food collected during the Feed Lake County campaign will be distributed to approximately 40 Lake County food pantries in May. All money donated will be used to make food purchases throughout the year to help restock the food pantries.

“Due to the generosity of our community, last year we were able to provide Lake County food pantries with enough food for 330,134 meals to help our friends and neighbors suffering from hunger,” McCarty said. “I’m proud to announce that this is a 43 percent increase over the number of meals we were able to provide in 2018.

“We’ve ramped up our efforts due to the large number of households struggling to afford basic needs.”

A study conducted by United Way in 18 states, including Ohio, show that a total of 7.5 percent of Lake County households live in poverty, while a significant 27 percent fall within the ALICE threshold. ALICE is a United Way acronym that stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed.

ALICE households are determined as those that earn more than the federal poverty level but less than the basic cost of living.

The combined total of 34 percent accounted for in the study represents the total of all Lake County residents struggling to survive.

“Due to the number of households living at or below the ALICE threshold, we need the help of our community,” McCarty added. “A $20 donation is enough to provide 80 meals to someone suffering from hunger.

For more information on how to help, contact Jodie Matsko at 440639-1236 or via email at jmatsko@uwlc.org.