We started the year off right by having an employee volunteer event to help our community. In 2025 we want to give back even more than we did last year. Food insecurity is a major issue nationwide, especially in Ohio. According to Feeding America, one in seven Ohioans and one in five Ohio children face hunger. Understanding the urgent need to address hunger in our community, we took action to make a local impact. In January we worked with the Good Samaritan Hunger Center in Akron at a meal-packing event for local kids. During the event, our team packed 2,301 weekend meal bags for children, which GSHC distributed to students in Akron Public and Parochial schools.
The Good Samaritan Hunger Center was founded in 1982 and has been working to alleviate food insecurity for those living in the Akron area. They run three main programs all backed by volunteer efforts:
- Kid’s Bag Program: Weekly the GSHC packs food for students for their time away from school. This program is for students who rely on school meals and may go hungry over the weekend. Since 2023 they have been serving 17 different schools.
- Senior Box Program: This program supplies 30lb boxes to seniors who are over 60 and meet income guidelines. These boxes are distributed once a month.
- Weekly Food Distribution: In five locations GSHC distributes packaged food and produce to those who may need it. These packages contain a three to five day food supply.
Looking Ahead
We love what the Good Samaritan Hunger Center does, and after the event, our company decided to continue our relationship with them. We will be hosting a company-wide food drive. Following the food drive we will have a company packing event to pack the meals for the food-insecure individuals and families in the Akron area. Our goal for the food drive is to collect enough food to create over four thousand meals.
You can learn more about Good Samaritan Hunger Center, how they help the community, and how you can volunteer on their website. To see what else we do in our community this year, keep an eye on our social media and our community commitment page.
