Second Harvest food bank distributes record amount of food

YOUNGSTOWN — Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley distributed a record 8.3 million pounds of food last year, an increase of 1 million pounds over the previous year.

“We are very pleased that we were able to procure and distribute more food than we did the previous year, but we’re saddened that it was necessary,” said Mike Iberis, food bank executive director.

In the past 10 years, the food bank, located at 2805 Salt Springs Road, has increased its annual distribution of food by 137 percent.

Last year, there were more than 670,000 visits to the 153 food pantries and soup kitchens served by Second Harvest in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties, Iberis said.

This could not have been accomplished without the support of thousands of people that give financially, donate food, give of their time he said.