Every day in Northeast Ohio one in six people struggle with hunger.
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Harvest for Hunger campaign is a joint effort of four area food banks to raise money and food to fight that hunger in 21 Northeast and North Central Ohio counties.
The campaign is one of the largest of its kind in the nation. Last year alone, enough food and money was raised to provide 22 million meals. Besides the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, others involved in this effort include the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, the Second Harvest Foodbank of North Central Ohio and the Second Harvest Foodbank of Mahoning Valley.
According to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, it serves 350,000 people annually with 50 percent of those being children and seniors. It also found 62 percent of those it serves have to choose between paying for food or medicine. Fifty-four percent have to choose between buying food or paying for housing and 68 percent have to choose between paying for food or paying utility bills.
But it’s not just money the food banks need, food items are needed as well.
The top 10 most needed donations are: Beans (canned or dried), peanut butter, boxed or canned entrees, pasta sauce, 100% juice, cereal (hot or cold), canned protein like tuna, chicken and whole grain rice or pasta.
This year’s co-chairs of the Harvest for Hunger campaign are Rick Chiricosta, Chairman, President & CEO, Medical Mutual and Sean Richardson, Regional President, Cleveland, Huntington. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish are honorary co-chairs.
Participating supermarket sponsors are Giant Eagle, Heinen’s, Dave’s Markets, Fishers Foods and Buehler’s Fresh Foods. Shoppers can make monetary donations of $1, $5, or $10 directly on their bill at the register to support Harvest for Hunger.
To kick off Harvest for Hunger, celebrity baggers will take part in a grocery Olympics. Mike Polk, Junior will represent WKYC Studios which is also a media sponsor of Harvest for Hunger.