Crowd Control

This past Thursday, Erin and I were able to attend a fantastic food distribution in Lorain. It turned out to be an extremely well-attended event, hosting more than four hundred people from across the county. The volunteers did a great job, and kept people moving quickly through the lines. However, that meant that Erin and I had to step up our pace in order to attempt to talk to as many families as we could about The Ohio Benefit Bank. Even for us, it would have been a tall order to try to get to everyone, but fortunately the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio was able to provide us with some backup in the form of VISTA Nancy Smith.

Having Nancy along was a great experience. She has a lot of passion for the work that we do, and she was extremely effective at reaching out to groups of clients. It really reminded me of how important the work of national service members is to the work of The Ohio Benefit Bank network. In this case having an extra teammate working on outreach greatly augmented our efficiency, as we were able to maintain a consistent flow of applications throughout the duration of the event, something that never could have occurred had Erin and I both been focused on working on both outreach and the actual application process.

Thanks Nancy!

P.S.
If you are interested in learning more about AmeriCorps, visit our website.  If you would like to increase the capacity of your agency by hosting an AmeriCorps member contact Maureen Ringlein at mringlein@ohiofoodbanks.org, or Kelsey Raines at kelsey@ohiofoodbanks.org.

A Mobile Reunion in Pomeroy

Every quarter, the Mobile Express meets up with the Lutheran Social Services Mobile Pantry in various locations. This week we went to Pomeroy, Ohio to do a benefit clinic in the parking lot of Alligator Jacks, a local flea market. Churches in the area provide volunteers and supplies to make this distribution possible.  

Pictured here is Tyler with Mark McPherson, who manages the LSS Mobile Food Pantry and the LSS Lancaster Food Pantry. Mark is a man with a big heart. He enthusiastically announced our arrival and does his best to  make residents aware of benefits available to them through The Ohio Benefit Bank.

Below: canned food and produce are the main items given at the mobile food distribution. Sausage was a special treat at this particular event.