Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative presented an Operation Round Up grant to Caring & Sharing Food Pantry (C&S) in Paulding so they could purchase shopping carts and a vacuum sealer, helping them better serve their clients and the community.
The new carts will be used by the pantry’s clients as they shop for food for their families and move it to their vehicles. The carts feature a narrow width designed for easier movement through the narrow aisles of the pantry. Modified, bigger tires on the carts allow them to move smoothly on rough parking lot surfaces. The vacuum sealer will enable the pantry to repackage bulk food items they receive.
C&S serves people in Paulding County who experience food insecurity — that’s 12.0% of the local population according to 2020 Feeding America data. People can visit the pantry two times per month and receive three days of food during each visit. This year from January through November, C&S served an average of 145 households and 345 individuals per month. Stated another way, so far this year C&S has provided 11,379 days of food to the people of Paulding County. Even for 11 months, that is a 52% increase over the households served in 2021. Of those served, 27% were children ages of 0 and 17 years, and 21% were seniors over age 60.
C&S also shares resources with other food pantries and projects in the county. So far in 2022, C&S has shared 2,102 pounds of food with other food pantries and 591 pounds of food with the bi-monthly fairgrounds food distribution program.
In 2021, C&S announced it will be constructing and equipping a 3,840 square foot building to house the pantry in the future. The new building will have a shopping area designed to help clients, especially those with mobility difficulties, gather their food. An improved receiving area and increased storage space that will allow them to receive food donations more efficiently from additional sources and in larger amounts when it is available. This will offer opportunities for the pantry to provide more meals to our neighbors every month through direct distribution and through sharing with other pantries in the county.
Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative is proud to serve more than 12,900 members in Paulding, Putnam, Defiance, Van Wert, and Allen counties in Ohio, and Adams and Allen counties in Indiana. Since 1935, our not-for-profit model has allowed us to provide affordable, reliable, and safe power to rural areas with pride.
Operation Round Up Fund is a voluntary charitable program that allows participating Paulding Putnam members to round up their monthly electric bills to the next dollar to benefit others. These additional pennies are deposited in the fund and granted to individuals, families, and organizations who make a difference in our communities. A Board of Trustees, composed of cooperative members, oversees the grant application and allocation process. To learn more or apply for a donation, visit www.ppec.coop/operation-round.
The Caring & Sharing Food Pantry is located at 119 South Main Street in Paulding. It accepts donations of food and groceries when it is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon. Financial donations can be sent to P.O. Box 391, Paulding, OH 45879. Please indicate on the check if you want the donation to apply to regular operational cost or to the building fund.
For more information about the pantry, volunteering opportunities and fundraising activities, follow the Caring & Sharing Food Pantry on Facebook. You also can contact the pantry, at (419) 399-9562 or pauldingfoodpantry@gmail.com.
