The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
United Way distributes 21,970 lbs of food
Also provided thousands of masks, bottles of hand sanitizer
United Way of Lake County’s staple food drive kicking off the New Year had a bit of added weight to it, literally and figuratively, as the nonprofit included just over 32,000 supplemental items to its January haul.
In addition to the distribution of nearly 21,970 pounds of food to about 40 Lake County pantries Jan. 28, the organization also distributed 30,000 personal protective equipment face masks and 2,208 eightounce bottles of hand sanitizer to the pantries and various Lake County nonprofits and schools.
According to UWLC, the food is enough to provide 18,309 meals to those suffering from hunger in the county. The nonprofit convenes with area food pantries several times a year to determine the most requested items.
Based on this, the recent distribution included apple juice, fruit cocktail, Raisin Bran, toasted oats, Corn Flakes, peanut butter, jelly, applesauce, chicken noodle soup, mac and cheese, beef ravioli, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, tuna, chunk white
chicken, Knorr’s Creamy Chicken Pasta, Knorr’s Chicken Rice and Knorr’s Alfredo Sauce Mix.
Volunteers from Perrybased Teen Challenge of Greater Cleveland, Inc. were on hand to unload grocery deliveries prior to the distribution and Moving Ahead Services of Willoughby donated members of its team to load the vehicles.
“We’ve been responding to our communities’ most critical needs for nearly 100 years, and our current focus is on meeting the many challenges brought on by COVID-19,” said UWLC President and CEO Jennifer McCarty. “The food and PPE distribution is just one of the ways we are working to provide relief to those left vulnerable by the pandemic.”
Pre-COVID-19, nearly 26,000 Lake County residents lived with food insecurity, or one in nine residents.
In 2020, inquiries for food assistance ranked No. 1 among all inquiries for help received by Lifeline’s 2-1-1 help referral hotline. The agency received a total of 9,233 inquiries for
food assistance from those struggling with hunger, officials confirmed.
“The hardships that have ensued (from the pandemic) have left many struggling for the first time ever,” said
Tami Lewis, UWLC’s director of marketing and communications. “Resourcestrapped families are faced with the worry of eviction, putting their children to bed hungry, going without needed medication and more — too many of our friends and neighbors are combating fear, helplessness and despair.” Anyone struggling with hunger or in need of health and human services can visit the help resource center at uwlc. org/help-resources. More comprehensive help can also be found by calling the 2-1-1 referral hotline 24/7.