NEWS

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DIRECTOR'S NOTE

FALL 2021

BUILDING ON OUR PAST TO SECURE OUR FUTURE

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I am so amazed by all that Second Harvest Food Bank—and our very committed donors—have accomplished in the past 40 years.

In 1981, our main goal was to rescue food, so people could pick it up and take it home. Today, we can do so much more. Second Harvest Food Bank now has a whole fleet of vehicles that transport food to our partners (pantries, soup kitchens, non-profits), pick up donated food at local grocery stores, move meals directly to homes, and manage mobile distributions throughout our three-county service area.

Here’s something else that has changed: regulations! Today, we follow the same guidelines as places like Kroger, GFS, or Reiter. We are inspected each year and adhere to important standards—like USDA, FDA, and Ohio Agriculture, just to name a few. And it’s not just us. Our partners abide by these same standards. This is all done to ensure food is stored and distributed safely.

Just as our community continues to grow and evolve, so do we. For example, I’m excited to introduce our OrderAhead program, which will help those who need aid after most pantries have closed. (You can read more about this later in the newsletter.) We’re also working to “shorten the line” by helping our clients complete SNAP applications and find other resources in the community.

It’s true that 2020 was our busiest year ever. Usually, we provide 4-5 million meals per year. In 2020, we provided 10 million. Some reports say that food insecurity did not actually increase last year because of strong federal aid, food banks like ours, and donors like you.

This year, the need hasn’t slowed down. We’re on track to distribute another 9 million meals. We know more people will visit pantries in 2021 than they did before the pandemic, and are preparing accordingly. For example: we’re securing more produce, fresh products, and larger coolers and freezers. Building stronger partnerships. And, introducing new programs to meet underserved groups, like veterans, anyone without a home, and people who speak English as their second language.

Things will continue to change. But with your help, we will continue to accept the challenge to do more. Together, we can build a better future. We can provide nutritious food to those who face food insecurity.

Thank you for joining this journey with us.

Tyra L. Jackson
Executive Director

IN THE MEDIA