Community refills shelves

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

By TINA GROGAN
Inquirer Reporter

The shelves of the food pantry at the Ohio Heartland Community Action Center were nearly bare early Saturday morning, prior to the receipt of non-perishable food items from the community.

At the end of the day, Karen Wise, deputy executive director for the center, said the amount of goods received this year is down as expected.

“The combined effort of postal employees, Kiwanis club, citizens and local businesses is very appreciated at the center,” said Wise. Local businesses provided food for the volunteers as loads of food items were delivered and sorted.

The center would not exist were it not for the generosity of the community, said Wise.

Stamp Out Hunger, the nation’s largest single-day food drive, delivered over 73 million pounds of food in 2008.

This is the 15th year for Campbell Soup Company and the United States Postal Service to partner with the National Association of Letter Carriers as a co-sponsor.

The center, located on South Street in Galion, does not receive any federal or state funding for the food pantry. The food pantry is stocked solely by donations. This food drive is a primary source of donations. Throughout the year, other local food drives keep the pantry open.

Wise said, ” We have seen a drastic increase in the number of people needing help. People who have never asked for help before are asking now.”