The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s Stark County Campus welcomed community leaders, campaign coordinators and Foodbank supporters to an open house to celebrate the successful completion of the 31st annual Harvest for Hunger Campaign. Because of the community’s generosity, the Foodbank can provide enough food for 4.9 million meals to its eight-county service area, surpassing its 4.6 million meal goal.

“As more families are feeling the strain of inflation on their budgets, the work of the Foodbank and our hunger-relief network is vital to ensure individuals and families have access to safe and nourishing food,” said Dan Flowers, Foodbank president and CEO. “We’re grateful to all those who collected donations on our behalf, to the cashiers at local supermarkets who fundraised for us, and for the community groups and organizations who coordinated creative events to benefit the Foodbank. This is truly a community campaign that helps our neighbors.”

Though inflation impacts families, it also impacts the Foodbank. Rising costs, coupled with supply chain issues, have made it hard for the Foodbank to secure food donations, meaning the organization is spending more money on food than ever before.

The Harvest for Hunger Campaign is the largest annual fundraising campaign for the Foodbank and helps support food distribution all year long. 100% of every dollar raised in the Campaign goes directly to providing free food for individuals and families in need in the local community.

The Campaign was comprised of 200 businesses, organizations, schools and church groups coming together in support of one unified cause, feeding people and fighting hunger. The community-led, grassroots approach of collecting food and funds on behalf of the Foodbank helped raise more than $125,000 and 50,000 pounds of food for the Foodbank, the equivalent of 540,000 meals.

Supermarket partners were also a driving force behind the Campaign. Local Buehler's Fresh Foods, Dave's Supermarkets, Fishers Foods, Giant Eagle, GetGo and Heinen's Fine Foods collected more than $720,000 from customers during Check Out Hunger.

Campaign co-chairs Sam Falletta, CEO of Incept, and Bernett L. Williams, vice president, external affairs at Akron Children’s Hospital, greeted guests at the celebration, thanking them for their participation in this year’s Campaign. Guests enjoyed food from a food truck, music, yard games and more during the summer-themed open house.

The Harvest for Hunger Campaign is a joint effort of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, Greater Cleveland Foodbank, Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio. This annual fundraising campaign focuses on fighting hunger across 21 counties in Northeast Ohio.

For more information about donating to support hunger-relief efforts, please visit akroncantonfoodbank.org or call 330.535.6900.

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