On NBC's TODAY show and also on 3News, we're drawing attention this week to the strain faced by local food banks, which have been struggling during the pandemic to keep up with the increased demand for emergency food.
Especially if you’re downsizing your holiday meal this year, please consider donating the difference to help our local food banks meet the need. And if you donate on Tuesday, Dec. 15, your contribution will go twice as far.
All day long on Dec. 15, donations to both the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank will be matched by private donors. Here's how to help:
- To support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, click here to make a donation, or call 216-535-2051 between 8:30 am and 5 pm. You may also mail a check to Greater Cleveland Food Bank, 15500 S. Waterloo Rd. Cleveland OH 44110.
- To contribute to the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank, you may donate via their website. You also may make a contribution by dialing 330-535-6900 between 4:30 am and 6:30 pm.
Your dollar makes a difference! Usually one dollar can help provide four nutritious meals when you invest it with a food bank, but on Tuesday Dec. 15, thanks to generous local donors, $1 will help provide eight meals.
Both local food banks have been stretched thin by huge spikes in demand for emergency food since the pandemic began. Both agencies say that 30 percent of the families they have served during the pandemic are visiting a food program for the first time, meaning they never had to ask for free food before.
Officials at the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank say that 2020 will be the largest distribution year in its history, and fundraising has never been more important. The first $21,000 in donations received on Tuesday by the Akron-Canton food bank will be matched, thanks to gifts from Citizens Bank and Synthomer Foundation.