ThisWeek CW 09/18/2014

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/09/15/football-for-food-donations-needed-to-fill-increased-demand-for-aid.html

Canal Winchester’s Community Food Pantry is hoping for another victory this season with its Football for Food program.

This year’s event, which coincides with National Hunger Awareness Month, is scheduled at the Friday, Sept. 26, Canal Winchester High School football game versus Westerville Central High School.

Human Services Administrator Penny Miller said she hopes donations will help tackle hunger and food insecurity in and around Canal Winchester.

“Sadly, it’s not necessary to go beyond our own community to understand that the challenge of hunger in America is in our own backyard,” Miller said. “At the beginning of the current fiscal year, the Community Food Pantry was serving 1,069 clients, and the number has increased every week since.

“Statistics for the month of August paint a frustrating picture; that includes registering 15 new families with 46 additional people asking for food assistance.”

Miller said 7,725 meals were distributed through the Choice Pantry in August, which is an increase of more than 300 meals compared to August 2013.

For the past several years, the Football for Food and Pizza for Food projects have been important in helping to sustain the Community Food Pantry, Miller said. On Thursday, Sept. 25, the annual Food Parade will be held at Indian Trail and Winchester Trail schools, where students will compete to see which classroom from each school can donate the most items. The winning classrooms will receive a pizza party.

Middle school and high school students also will be competing to collect food, and Miller hopes that more than 8,000 items will be contributed throughout the Canal Winchester school district.

Admission to the Sept. 26 football game is $6 for adults and $4 for children, or a bag of food items. Passes will be accepted, Miller said.

All proceeds from the sale of tickets will benefit the Community Food Pantry.

“Unfortunately, while the demand continues to consistently increase, the shelves are constantly depleted as quickly as they are restocked, and much of the reserved inventory has been used,” she said.

“Summer always puts a strain on pantries because when students are not in school, they are not receiving the free breakfasts and lunches that many of them are income eligible to receive,” Miller said. “This reality is not unique to Canal Winchester. The Groveport and Pickerington pantries, as well as several pantries located in Fairfield County, are also pleading for donations to meet the requests for food assistance.

“The issue of hunger is never-ending and in fact, keeps getting worse,” she added. “As a pantry, we know we are not going to eliminate the need for food, but we have a great responsibility to keep one step ahead of the game and serve those in need as best we can.”

On Saturday, Sept. 27, the food pantry, located at 360 W. Waterloo St., will be open to accept contributions from 9 a.m. to noon.

More information is available on the Canal Winchester Human Services website at cwhumanservices.org, or by emailing Miller at penny.cwhs@gmail.com.