HELPING THE HUNGRY

By ELISE FRANCO

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — More than 150 community members waited patiently in line, not to feed their desire for the latest gaming system or cell phone, but because they were hungry.

Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley handed out hundreds of bags of bread and potatoes and boxes of greens Wednesday afternoon to Youngstown residents who needed it the most.

Food Distribution

Video

People from every part of the city gathered in the parking lot of Price Memorial AME Church, on Dryden Avenue on the city’s East Side, for the arrival of a truck hauling thousands of pounds of fresh produce.

The truck arrived at 1 p.m., and volunteers promptly began calling numbers and handing out food.

Vera Henderson, 74, of Youngstown, said the Second Harvest distribution was beautiful to see.

“I had no potatoes or greens in the house, and those are my favorites,” she said. “This is the best thing they could ever do for us.”

Henderson, who lives on the East Side, came with her sister and said this was her second time at a food distribution.

Nicole Bridges, 29, of Youngstown, and her son, Laylon Bridges-Smith, 7, of Youngstown, stood in line for about 20 minutes before receiving their food. Laylon kept busy, however, by helping others carry the heavy bags of potatoes and boxes of greens to their cars.

“A lot of people need this,” Nicole Bridges said. “Gas prices are high — the cost of everything is going up right now.”

South Side resident Rick Stewart stood in line for a little more than 30 minutes, and shared Henderson’s sentiments.

“It’s a beautiful thing, a very beautiful thing,” he said of the distribution. “Some people are unfortunate and in need of help like this.”

It was easy to tell that Stewart, himself, was happy to be able to take home the produce.

“I’m a potato and greens eater,” he said. “That’s why I’m here. I love it. I just appreciate it.”

Betty Crafter-Royal, a member of Price Memorial Church and food bank agent relations associate, said turnout for the distribution was on par with what was expected.

“We gave out over 100 boxes of greens and potatoes,” she said. “When I got here just before noon, people were already waiting in the parking lot.”

Crafter-Royal has been involved with Second Harvest for 10 years and also runs the church’s kitchen and food pantry.

“It’s wonderful what Second Harvest is doing to reach out,” she said. “It’s well-deserved, and I know community members appreciate it.”

Mike Iberis, the food bank’s executive director, said the number of people in the area who don’t have enough food is rapidly increasing.

“I believe, by doing this, we’re able to distribute food to those who are going hungry,” he said. “We need to work harder to bring the food to the people.”

The food bank was able to acquire the produce through a collaboration among Second Harvest, Ohio Farmers Inc. and the state Legislature.

Iberis said everything handed out was surplus produce, which means if it hadn’t gone to this distribution and others like it, the greens and potatoes would have been left to die in fields.

According to the Second Harvest Web site, 12.2 percent of the population in Mahoning County lives in poverty. In Youngstown alone, the median income per household is $21,850, and 48.9 percent of children live below the poverty level.

“It seems that now everyone knows someone who is falling into poverty, whether it be a friend, family member or neighbor,” Iberis said. “Ten years ago that may not have been the case, but now it’s getting closer and closer to everyone’s lives.”

efranco@vindy.com