The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
The mission of Second Harvest hasn’t changed in its 40 years
In March 2020, when COVID-19 brought the world as we knew it to a screeching halt, Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio did not stop.
We moved over 1.1 million pounds of food through the Nordson Food Distribution Center, the most ever distributed in our organization’s history at the time.
In the past two years, I have thought to myself, “Could our visionary founders have predicted any of this? Could they have imagined a scenario where the organization they created would be distributing millions of pounds of food each month?”
This year, Second Harvest is celebrating our 40th anniversary.
In 1982, those visionary leaders, Eric Nord, Evan Nord and Jeptha Carrell, came together concerned about the rising unemployment of the early ‘80s and the need for emergency food assistance and created the region’s first food bank in Vermillion.
Since its inception, Second Harvest has provided over 170 million pounds of food and grocery products across a fourcounty region, including Erie, Huron, Lorain and Crawford counties.
Although much has changed, we find ourselves in times just as uncertain, if not more so. Families continue to work toward recovering from the pandemic, but at every turn is a challenge.
There remains uncertainty for families with children, who have faced so much over the past two years. The Child Tax Credit, aimed at families with children, expired in December. The Center for Budget & Policy Priorities reported in 2021, families with income below $35,000 per year spent 91% of CTC funds on basic needs and education with food first. Additional emergency SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits will end in April. And after this school year, unless it is extended, the waiver providing all children with breakfast and lunch will expire.
Families with children are not the only ones facing uncertainty.
A profoundly concerning trend from the pandemic is the dramatic rise in the need for food among seniors. Since prepandemic, there has been a 60 percent increase in seniors accessing food across the region.
Regionally, Second Harvest administers the federallyfunded Senior Box Program. This program aims to improve the health of low-income seniors by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods, and are delivered to the door of some of our most vulnerable neighbors. The correlation between health and hunger has been proved, especially for seniors, for whom food insecurity puts them at risk for a wide array of health outcomes and poorer health outcomes.
Currently, more than 134,000 people are turning to us in North Central Ohio, which is 52% higher than pre-pandemic numbers. Many of those turning to hunger relief programs find themselves making tough choices to keep food on the table. One in 6 Ohioans struggle with hunger and for children, that number is more dismal, as 1 in 4 children are at risk of going hungry.
Whether it is children, college students, seniors, families or anyone in between, we know serious food insecurity issues are prevalent in our community.
Our team is working tirelessly to address these unique challenges, from tracking local and national data and trends to creating efficient solutions to move more food more quickly through our distribution center, to working closely with our network of over 110 partner charities to develop innovative solutions for our community.
The world may look very different than our humble beginnings in 1982, but our mission and vision have not changed.
We remain committed to being there when people need us, and we will continue to partner with those who also see a bright future for all by cultivating a healthy, hunger-free community.
What can you do? How can you help?
Participate in Harvest for Hunger, the annual food and funds drive. It is getting under way now, and we need your help.
Last year, local companies, schools, nonprofits, and government entities participated by running traditional and virtual food and fund drives, raising over 1.3 million meals for Second Harvest and local families in our four-county service region.
This year, more than ever, will make a difference for those who need us.
Visit secondharvestfoodbank. org/events/harvest-for-hunger for ways to get involved.
The world may look very different than our humble beginnings in 1982, but our mission and vision have not changed.