The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is hosting a community open house on March 12 from 4pm-6pm at its new Wayne County Campus, located at 333 Wadsworth Road in Orrville. Community members interested in touring the facility, offering feedback for the facility’s future use and learning more about the Foodbank’s work in Wayne County are encouraged to attend. To learn more and RSVP, visit akroncantonfoodbank.org/OpenHouse.
The Foodbank will share updates on the progress of the campus during the open house. Guests will learn about potential uses for the facility and will be invited to provide feedback on those ideas. The Foodbank will implement a phased approach to utilizing the facility, allowing community input to inform future plans.
The Wayne County Campus was made possible by a donation from The J.M. Smucker Co. Last fall, Smucker donated its retail store and 30+ acres of surrounding land to the organization, marking the largest gift in the Foodbank’s history.
Since the announcement, the Foodbank has met with key county stakeholders, hosted a town hall meeting for Wayne County hunger-relief partners that are part of the Foodbank’s network, and has distributed a survey to residents and community partners to solicit ideas to help shape the vision for the facility.
“This campus represents an exciting new chapter for our work in Wayne County,” said Dan Flowers, president and CEO of the Foodbank. “We’re committed to listening first – learning directly from neighbors, partners and community leaders about how this space can best serve the county. Our goal is to build something together that strengthens our impact today and well into the future.”
The Foodbank has been serving Wayne County for the past 30 years and plans to utilize the facility and property to deepen its impact within the county where more than 15,000 people may experience food insecurity. In 2025, the Foodbank and its network of 38 Wayne County partners distributed more than 1.7 million pounds of food to the county, a 22% increase over the prior year. Wayne County partners also experienced a 10% increase in the number of people served.
With an increased demand for food and a decrease in federal and state food support, pressure on the charitable food network continues to rise. The need to think creatively and expand services for neighbors is more important than ever.
If interested in providing feedback on the future use of the Wayne County Campus, please consider completing the Foodbank’s brief survey at akroncantonfoodbank.org/WayneSurvey.