Recordpub.com - Out and About: 10.7 tons of food collected at 11th drive

The Volunteer Administrators' Network organized its 11th annual county-wide food drive for Make a Difference Day on Oct. 24. Make a Difference Day is a national day of caring across the United States.

Thanks to the generosity of the Portage community, this year's food drive was the most successful event to date. The Change Hunger emergency food cupboards, hot meal sites and shelters were able to receive 21,731 pounds of food.

More than 100 volunteers participated in the event, including 33 Girls Scout troops from the Girls Scouts of North East Ohio, AmeriCorps/PowerCorps, Anna Maria of Aurora, Coleman Professional Services, Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority, Family & Community Services, Medication Access Program, Safer Futures, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Hattie Larlham, Home Instead Senior Care, Kent Kiwanis, Kent State University, KSU Circle K, Ravenna High School Key Club, Maplewood Career Center in Ravenna, Portage County Senior Services Center, Portage Industries, Portage Learning Centers, Ravenna Elks Lodge, Robinson Memorial Hospital, Smithers Scientific Services of Ravenna, United Way, GE Healthcare of Aurora, and local residents.

The community put forth an effort with great success to feed the hungry in Portage County. Thanks to their efforts, the food pantries will have plenty to re-stock their shelves that were running quite low. The food cupboards have seen an increase in need due to rising utility, rent and grocery costs. The cupboards and meal sites have come to depend on this annual food drive to serve the continuing increase of families and individuals coming to their pantries.

Stores that participated this year include Acme of Kent, Acme of Stow/Kent, and the Rootstown Giant Eagle. Donations of food for the volunteers on Saturday were provided by Culligan Water, Dunkin' Donuts, Giant Eagle, Guido's Pizza, Mom and Jerry's Pizza, Siciliano's Pizza and Subway. VAN would like to express its gratitude to these local businesses for their support and assistance.

Change Hunger is Center of Hope/Ravenna Christian Cupboard, Kent Social Services/The Lord's Pantry, Randolph-Suffield-Atwater Food Shelf, Skeels-Mathews Community Center, Winfield Church of God, Brimfield Community Cupboard, Crestwood 4C's, Streetsboro Community Pantry, The Salvation Army's Northeast Portage Food Shelf, Miller House and Safer Futures.

The Portage County Volunteer Administrators' Network exists to actively support and promote volunteerism, service, learning and giving in Portage County.

(photos)

Record-Courier photos by Robert J. Lucas

Taking part in the Make a Difference Day food drive are, from left, Shawna Borkoski, Gloria Prendergast, Mandy Zantow and Ashleigh Lawrence, all of the Volunteer Administrators’ Network, April Bleakney of AmeriCorps/PowerCorps, Claudette Rogers of VAN, Austin Clark of Key Club of Ravenna, Megan Yoney, Key Club of Ravenna president, and Brian Adams of Circle K.

Unloading a van full of donations are, from left, Frank Wilhite of Cuyahoga Falls who’s handing items to Simon and Sarah Bednarski, brother and sister of Nelson with Andrew Bednarski, another sibling from Nelson, and Denise Gemberling of Kent.

Kent State University students collected food donations on campus and then delivered nearly 7,500 pounds of food to the collection point at Maplewood Career Center in Ravenna.

Members of Brownie Troop No. 46 of Rootstown, under the leadership of troop leader Cindy Sladkey, worked at Maplewood Career in Center in Ravenna on Make a Difference Day, the drop-off point for county-wide food donations.

More than 10 tons of food was collected during the 11th annual Make a Difference Day food drive.

Members of Brownie Troop No. 131 brought their food donations to Maplewood Career Center in Ravenna.