We are being stretched! This time last year we were serving an average of 19 families each day. Over the last three months, we are now averaging 31 families each day we are open. As one of the few pantries in the area that is open 5 days a week (M-F, 10-3), plus one Saturday each month, AND a local food distribution a month – we are really being put to the test.

As an all-volunteer organization, we are stretched in three major areas:

• Buying food

• Getting food in the door

• Serving families

Buying Food:

In the past, we have used our partnership with our regional Foodbank, the SE Ohio Foodbank, to order food paid for with state and federal (USDA) funding. We pay for delivery, and the food is provided at a low cost-per-pound. During COVID, both sources were increased, and food costs were waived. Now, though, funding is down or below pre-COVID levels, and the same dollar amount from the state or USDA buys less due to inflation.
 
At the same time, demand across Ohio has increased, so Foodbank food is in short supply. To make up the gap, we buy food from local retailers. This food isn’t free, and we’re ordering way more (250% more) than we budgeted at the beginning of the year. The lack of food from the Foodbank and the increased cost of retail food is significantly impacting our bottom line. Thankfully, due to our generous donors and our thrifty-squirrel mentality, we are projecting we can meet the need through year’s end. The future, however, will require us to do more to sustain our mission in the face of such continuing need.
 

Getting Food in the Door:

When we order from a local retailer, such as Aldi, how do we get those pallets of food to the Pantry? We have a core group of people, including our Food Chair, Ryan Ham, who take time each week to fill up their private vehicles, drive to the Pantry, and then get the food in the building. This is a physically demanding, time-intensive job that few people event think about. We additionally have volunteers that pick up bread, Kroger donations, or other food. We have a larger group of volunteers that help unload the orders that do get delivered from the Foodbank and put the all the food into individual bags and boxes for our families. We used to pack two days a week. Now we routinely pack three days, and sometimes we get rush calls to pack when our bag and box inventory is depleted.
 

Serving Families:

Our volunteers need to cover two shifts a day when we are open. We have been using two volunteers per shift, but with increased demand, we could use three. We have several volunteers who fill the gaps and step in to do several shifts a week, as needed. But, we don’t want to burn them out, nor do we want to turn families away because of a lack of volunteers.
 

We NEED your help:

• Your financial donations today and in the future will make sure we can continue to fill bags and boxes. Your donations are vitally important to helping us fight hunger in SE Ohio right now.

• We welcome food drives on our behalf.

• We need more volunteers to serve families.

• We are investigating new ways to get food in the door, but if you can handle a pack of 12 or 24 cans, have a vehicle big enough to handle bulk food, and are interested in helping us get food in the door, please contact us: +1 (740) 590-7051, https://athenscountyfoodpantry.org/contact-us/ , or send us a Facebook message.