As hunger and poverty rise, food bank is in need of help

One accurate gauge of a community’s economic health and vitality can be measured in the scope of assistance sought for subsistence needs among its members. Using that barometer, 2015 clearly remained a year of hardship, poverty and frustration for far too many in the Mahoning Valley as free food distributions by the Second Harvest Food Bank set an all-time record high of 10.4 million pounds.

That figure, released this week, represents a distressing increase of 800,000 pounds over 2014 levels.

Part of that spike can be chocked up to an upturn in unemployment in our region. The most recent data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services bears that out with Youngstown and Warren leading the state’s urban areas in high joblessness at 9 percent.

Much of that spike can be explained in the growing ranks of the working poor. The increased need results from the local economy’s ability to provide jobs that pay sufficiently to enable tens of thousands to escape the grip of poverty. At last Census count, nearly 100,000 people in the Valley lived at or below the official federal poverty level.

“While we are pleased to achieve a milestone in distribution, we are saddened that so many families and seniors have to rely on pantries and soup kitchens for the food they need,” said Michael Iberis, executive director of the food bank.

Clearly it will not be surprising to see the need grow even more pronounced in 2016, as a slew of businesses, factories and stores have announced closures or mass layoffs in recent weeks and months. As that need intensifies, the Valley is indeed fortunate to have the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and its compassionate network of donors available as a critical safety net.

HARVEST FOR HUNGER

For our part, The Vindicator and our broadcast partner 21 WFMJ-TV are proud to be counted among the sponsors and supporters of the 25th annual Harvest for Hunger campaign, an intensive two-month-long food drive that kicks off Wednesday morning at Second Harvest’s Salt Springs Road headquarters in Youngstown.

Harvest for Hunger, the agency’s late winter-early spring campaign, is designed to raise funds and collect nonperishable food to stock shelves and feed hungry mouths when demand peaks in late spring and early summer.

In 2015, the food bank and its 148 member agencies delivered 40,000 pounds of food assistance each day to assist those in need, including many of the more than 30,000 children in the Valley who live in poverty.

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 or stop by the food bank or visit its website to discover the many ways you can lend your support to cultivate success in this critically important campaign.