Community comes together with Mid-Ohio Food Collective to provide food for neighbors

Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC) is meeting neighbors where they are across its 20-county footprint.

One year ago, our way of life quickly, and dramatically changed. Some of our neighbors who might have already been facing challenges are now bravely working through this unprecedented pandemic crisis.

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the community, we are connecting more people to the right food in the right place at the right time. We are incredibly grateful for all those who have stepped up to help us meet the needs of families who are struggling to put food on their tables –  many of whom are battling food insecurity for the first time while also facing challenges related to work, school, childcare and more.

Although businesses and schools are beginning to reopen, projections indicate that stability, particularly for our hungry neighbors, could take three to five years to rebound. As we work our way through this year,  Mid-Ohio Food Collective is here, united as a community, to help during this pandemic and in the years to come as families recover.

When the pandemic hit, the Ohio National Guard worked alongside Ohio Food Banks to keep our communities safe and our neighbors fed. On July 2nd, after 16 months of service, the Ohio National Guard was decommissioned from all Ohio Food Banks. Now that the Ohio National Guard has departed, we need to fill 3,000 volunteer hours every week and invest in more staffing to meet increased needs.

Now is the time for action. We need your help to volunteer now more than ever. Throughout the summer, our Mid-Ohio Kitchen prepared up to 4,000 meals daily for local children. Although most businesses are bringing employees back, many families will still struggle to make ends meet with only limited work hours. And although we as a community celebrate each small gain toward "normal," it will take years for many to recover what they have lost.

There is still much work to be done. It's time for us to call back our own troops – our amazing volunteers! You can sort, pack, distribute, and deliver food, plus so much more. We continue to update our processes to adhere to the most recent and robust safety guidelines.

Whether you can volunteer a few hours one day a month or once a week, contributing your time and energy helps us connect nutritious food to families.

Check out volunteer opportunities at http://vhub.at/MOFC.

For additional information or questions call us at 614-317-9703 or email: volunteers@midohiofoodbank.org.

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The Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC) serves 20 Ohio counties stretching from Marysville to the Ohio River and Marion down to Chillicothe, also including Franklin County and Columbus, which account for over two-thirds of our service.

The Mid-Ohio Food Collective connects nutritious food to seniors, veterans, the homeless and children through a 680-partner agency network of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school sites, senior sites and other entities throughout its footprint.