Let’s reap a bounty in this spring’s Harvest for Hunger

Again this year, The Vindicator and our broadcast partner 21 WFMJ-TV are proud to be counted among the supporters of the annual Harvest for Hunger campaign, conducted by the Second Harvest Foodbank of the Mahoning Valley.

The agency’s vital campaign to raise funds and collect nonperishable food to stock shelves during the lean spring and summer months has reached high gear and continues through April.

The reason for this season of giving remains painfully clear: Hunger in the Mahoning Valley remains painfully pervasive.

In 2014, the food bank and its member agencies fulfilled 15,000 requests for emergency food assistance each week to assist those in need, including many of the more than 31,000 children in the Valley who live in poverty. Alarmingly, all data indicate the scope of poverty and the need for hunger relief continue to grow in our community.

IMPACT OF GIVING

That’s why Second Harvest merits a record-setting bounty in this year’s campaign. Each $1 donated translates into $15 worth of food that the agency can distribute to needy families and individuals. All food donations stay to help residents of Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

To reap maximum yields this year, we urge schools, businesses, community groups and individuals to organize food and fund drives to benefit this worthwhile campaign. Call, stop by the food bank on Salt Springs Road in Youngstown or visit its website to discover the many ways you can lend your support to cultivate communitywide success in this year’s harvest.

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