The Foodbank’s new Stark County Campus has remained on schedule throughout construction because of the community’s continued generosity. We are excited to launch the two-campus operation this summer and to welcome the community in the fall. It will be a multi-faceted campus for volunteering, piloting new initiatives and raising awareness around hunger.
Unique to the new campus will be the Keith D. Monda Family Food Pantry & Resource Center. We’re excited to offer food directly to the local community. The pantry will provide regular, weekly access to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, shelf-stable and perishable food items. Innovative pantry operation methods will be implemented, and the Foodbank intends to share knowledge and best practices learned with its hunger-relief network.
The Aultman Health Foundation Resource Room, located within the resource center, will include employment navigation services, healthcare services including health screenings and coordination of referrals to community resources, information on public benefits and legal aid services. Several community organizations will offer these services on a rotating schedule.
In addition to directly serving the community, the new campus will serve our hunger-relief partners more efficiently. The partner experience will remain the same – orders will be placed online and picked and packed in Akron, as it will serve as the fulfillment center for Canton. Orders will then be taken to the campus by our fleet of trucks.
Each partner will choose to pick up their food order from either the Canton or Akron location. The Canton location will save partners in our most southern counties 30 minutes to an hour of drive time, the cost of fuel, staff and volunteer efforts, and wear and tear on their vehicles.
Volunteer opportunities will also be available at the new location. Individuals, organizations, schools and social groups are encouraged to make a difference by helping sort and repack donations, as well as build senior food boxes, a key volunteer activity that will take place onsite.
Because of your support, the two buildings will work seamlessly together to ensure we have the capacity to source and distribute enough food for our region, getting us another step closer to meeting the Meal Gap. Thank you for choosing to support local hunger relief!