Feeding Medina County receives 10,000 pounds of food from Target

Feeding Medina County recently received one of, if not the largest, its single-time food donations from the Wadsworth Target following Monday's power outage. Executive director Janet Newcomer said Feeding Medina County has been busy recently with people calling to ask for food assistance. "In the last two days, we have served 22 clients at our emergency pantry," she said. "We normally see four or five people a day. Five is a busy day for us. We've more than doubled what we typically see." Newcomer said she was contacted by Jenny Peacock of the Wadsworth Target during Monday's power outage, which left store without power for an extended period of time. "We were able to rescue 10,000 pounds of food that otherwise would have been thrown out," Newcomer said. "We were able to get to the store in the middle of the night and power outage, and rescue that food." She said Feeding Medina County was able to mobilize its team for two trips between Wadsworth and Medina to rescue enough frozen food to fill a semi-truck. "It is incredibly helpful under any circumstances," Newcomer said. With all of the worry that people have about the government shutdown and SNAP benefits not renewing in November, Newcomer said it is especially helpful. "We serve 4,000 people a month on average," she said. "There are 9,000 people across Medina County who receive SNAP benefits." She said Feeding Medina County only sees a portion of the people who receive benefits. "We are here to help as many people as we possibly can with nutritious groceries, but we've been concerned if we see a sudden, huge uptick in the number of neighbors who are coming to visit us with the loss of SNAP benefits," Newcomer said. "That will seriously cut into the inventory we keep on hand." Normally, Feeding Median County sees an increase in people coming in for food in November and December. Fortunately, Newcomer said many organizations do food drives during this time. "That's a great help, but if we were to see even 500 more people, which is a fraction of that 9,000, that would be a serious impact for us," she said. "We want to feed everyone that we possibly can." The fact that the organization has received this food from Target is absolutely wonderful, Newcomer said. "It positions us so that we will be able to, not indefinitely, but certainly in the reasonable time ahead, meet the increased demands that we may very well see," she said. "We are starting to see it now, it's coming. Next week, if folks don't receive SNAP benefits, we are anticipating that we will be busy next week as well with many new clients." Newcomer said it puts Feeding Medina County in a very good position for the coming weeks. The organization does four direct distributions per month. She said the next distribution is at the Hidden Hollow Camp, 8672 Richman Road, on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. If someone is out of food before then, they can use the emergency pantry by calling Feeding Medina County at (330) 421-4816. "This is one of the largest, if not the largest, food donations we have received in the history of the organization," Newcomer said. "Because of the size of the donation, it will be one of the most impactful donations that we have ever received. We realize that people are extremely stressed and worried about how to feed their families. Feeding Medina County shares their concerns." Newcomer said life is all about timing and coming together. She could not thank Target enough for the donation. "With all of the crises that are going on, with people worrying about SNAP benefits, for us to receive this windfall is truly amazing," she said. Feeding Medina County accepts food donations and financial contributions, with financial contributions being especially valuable, Newcomer said. "We purchase our food from the Akron-Canton regional food bank," she said. "Because of their buying power, which they pass on to us, we are able to take $1 and turn it into $3 worth of food." For more information or to donate, visit feedingmedinacounty.org/. Contact reporter Patrick Rhonemus at (330) 721–4050 or prhonemus@medina-gazette.com.