At Thanksgiving time, the Caring & Sharing Food Pantry and its Board wish to express gratitude for all of the gifts from the community.
The mission of the Pantry is to eliminate food insecurity in Paulding County. It does so by providing food and basic personal care items to the people who live here. But actually, acts of kindness and neighbors helping neighbors is what fuels the Pantry’s operations.
“The number of clients we serve has been increasing over the past few months,” said Jodi Schneider, executive director of the Caring & Sharing Food Pantry. “We are going to hit our all-time, monthly high number of households served by the end of November. And during this time of increased demand, we have witnessed miraculous response from the people and businesses in our community through neighborly and divinely inspired donations of groceries and money.”
In the past several months, the Pantry has received donations from a variety of sources including the following:
• Scott St. John Memorial Cruise, $1,500
• Bible school offerings from St. Paul Lutheran Church
• Eggs from a variety of farmers
• Fresh produce from many local gardeners
• A freezer from the Payne St. Paul Food Pantry that has closed
• Donations of turkey burgers and sliced meat from Cooper Farms
• Reusable shopping bags from First Presbyterian Church of Paulding
• Bars Give Back Block Party, $1,221.50
• Pumpkin pies from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Paulding
• Food donations from Paulding Exempted Village Schools teachers, St Paul Lutheran Church in Paulding, First Christian Church of Paulding, Divine Mercy Catholic Church of Paulding, Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. and others
• Donations in the barrel at the Chief in Paulding
• American Legion post 297 in Payne, $500
• Homemade treats from local bakers
• Many anonymous donors…individuals, families, groups, churches, companies and more
If you would like to donate to the Pantry, you can mail financial donations to P.O. Box 391, Paulding, OH 45879. You can deliver donations of food and personal care items to the Pantry when they are open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon. Or, you can coordinate donation drop offs at other times by calling (419) 399-2158.
In addition to donations that help sustain regular Pantry operations, the Caring & Sharing Food Pantry Board of Directors is raising money for a new building at 318 N. Walnut Street in Paulding. To donate to the Caring & Sharing Food Pantry Building Fund, send checks in care of the Paulding County Area Foundation at 101 E. Perry Street, Paulding, Ohio 45879.
