Residents may leave food for mail carriers to collect May 12

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank will join forces with Campbell’s Soup Company and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) May 12 to help Stamp Out Hunger across America. Now in its 20th year, the annual food drive has grown from a regional to a national effort that provides assistance to the millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table.

The Stamp Out Hunger food drive, held on the second Saturday in May, has become the nation’s largest single-day food drive benefitting Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. In 2011, generous Americans donated 70.2 million pounds of food, which marked the eighth consecutive year that at least 70 million pounds were collected by letter carriers.

A look at food donations from the ground level

Arlington Memorial Baptist Church recently gave away 18,000 pounds of food to residents in need, thanks to a donation given by the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

Every week, the Foodbank donates food to this church, as well as to many other agency members across the county. Mary Coppenger, 72, and her husband Jack, 75, have been giving out food at Arlington Baptist for four years now.

The happily married couple of 50 years arrives at the church at 5 a.m. every Tuesday morning to set up, staying until 1:30 p.m. "When we first started there was only about 15 people coming. We'd sit here, read the paper and have coffee," Mary said of their beginnings.
Now they average 100 to 150 people each time.

The Akron/Canton Regional Foodbank is the source of food for more than 450 soup kitchens, homeless shelters and food pantries across eight counties in Northeast Ohio.

"Our partners are charities that serve about 180,000 different individuals every year across the region. It's an agency with tremendous scope," said Dan Flowers, president and CEO of the Foodbank.

The New Year has brought a brand new vision for the Foodbank. "This year we're on pace to distribute about 19.5 million pounds of food. We have big plans for 2012. There are so many people that are coming and asking for food for the first time. People talk about the current recession in past tense, but we don't. In 2008 the number of people seeking emergency food from the food bank really skyrocketed," Flowers said.

A new spokesperson for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is cute and quiet, but her story speaks loudly. Kate, the focus of a new video, helps spread the serious message of hunger in a creative way, said Michelle Hinton, the Foodbank’s director of marketing and communications.

Set to a catchy acoustic guitar track, the video, “Hungry Kate: The Girl With the Belly Ache,” illustrates the domino effect within a family whose father has lost his job, leading to debt, home foreclosure and the eventual impact it has on “Kate,” who is one of 95,000 local children who struggles with hunger.

The video also shows how crucial even small donations are to helping combat this community-wide problem. Launched a month ago, the video has drawn more than 1,200 views, according to the Foodbank’s YouTube site. “We want the viewer to take a second to think about how the issue of hunger is closer than they probably realize, and how a simple sacrifice can make a big difference,” said Hinton.

19.2 million pounds of food. 1,695 volunteers. More than 25,000 hours of support. These numbers are important to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. Why? Because one in seven Ohio households face a risk of hunger. Because one in five Ohio children are food insecure.

These statistics are just a few that keep Michelle Hinton, director of marketing and communications, and other organizations working for food. Hinton has only been at the Akron-Canton Food Bank for two years, but she has loved every minute since starting.

“I came from 10 years of corporate background, but volunteering was always an important part of my life,” she said. “It’s great being a voice for the clients and hearing how agencies are making a difference in people’s lives.”

The Akron Marathon is a massive undertaking, drawing more than 11,000 runners and nearly 3,000 volunteers. As such, the organization is still looking for volunteers for the ninth annual event this weekend.

Although the marathon takes place Saturday morning, the schedule of activities begins Thursday, as volunteers will assemble food bags for the runners at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, said Amy Freeman, vice president of the Akron Marathon.

“Volunteers are essential to the success of our event,” said Freeman. “They are vital in providing a safe, organized and fun race.”

Main Street Gourmet will do its part to help end hunger by offering discount treats this Saturday at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

The No Muffin Left Behind Sale, April 16, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Foodbank, will feature such items as “French Toast” muffins, brownies, cookie dough, granola, baked muffins and muffin batters with some food priced at $1.25 per pound. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank.

Losing weight usually means looking good. Losing weight as part of the Pound for Pound Challenge, however, means that there’s the possibility of feeling even better. For the third consecutive year, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank has partnered with "The Biggest Loser" television series and other national organizations in support of the Pound for Pound Challenge Event.

Between now and the season finale of "The Biggest Loser: Couples TV" series later this season, those that live within the eight Ohio counties covered by the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank can visit the official website and pledge to lose weight. Every pound pledged during the challenge equals one pound of food (or 11 cents) donated to the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank.