The season of giving has ended, but the need for many Geauga County and his remains.
For the last decade, Geauga Credit Union has done its part to help eradicate hunger, donating more than $13,000 to feeding people.
In January, checks totaling $800 were presented to the seven Geauga Hunger Task Force food pantries — as well as Sts. Edward and Lucy food pantry in Middlefield — to help battle hunger locally during a Jan. 12 presentation ceremony at Geauga Credit Union in Burton Village.
The money raised was from the sale of Malley’s candy bar at credit unions in Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties.
Geauga Credit Union is a member of the Northeast Ohio Alliance of Credit Unions — a league of credit unions in the three counties — and the donation represented Geauga County’s share, said GCU CEO Lisa Briggs.
Pantry volunteers Gene Brun, Ann Szasz, Beth Ann Bouchek and Bruce Carson visited the GCU on Jan. 12 to receive their $100 checks.
And the donations could not have come at a better time for the GHTF, which not only has seen an increase in the number of people looking to fill their cupboards — especially during the holidays — but also a jump in the number of senior citizens who have visited the food pantries.
“The biggest misconception, in my opinion, is that Geauga County doesn’t have any hungry people,” said Bouchek, who runs the food pantry at Christ Presbyterian Church in Chester Township. “We fight that every day because they (people) don’t think there’s a need.”
That is why monetary donations are so important, especially for the Pilgrim Christian Church food pantry in Chardon, which does not use the Cleveland Foodbank.
“All our food comes from donations, either directly from cash or from food, which is always what I’d like to have rather than cash,” Carson said.
Brun, who for the past decade has overseen the county’s largest pantry at Burton Congregational Church, spends his donated dollars at stores and the Cleveland Foodbank, buying things like personal hygiene items.
“People don’t think about donating those, because usually it’s advertised as non-perishable food products,” added Szasz, who manages the pantry at Middlefield United Methodist Church.
The volunteers all agreed meat is the most sought after food item followed by “something that will go far” like pasta sauce. Paper products are another priority.
“It also helps an individual’s total situation if they can find a job,” Carson said. “If they’re not necessarily as cleanly as they should be, that’s an issue, so we try and cover that, too, with soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, laundry soap, all those things that would help you find a way forward, in addition to the food.”
Brun explained there are two simple rules at his Burton pantry: “If you feel that somebody is taking too much food, give them more. And, if you have any questions, you ask what would Jesus do.”
What would Jesus do?
“He said, ‘Serve the least of these, feed the hungry, if you’ve fed a person you’ve fed me. If you clothes a person, you’ve clothed me,’” Szasz said.
Bouchek said she’s always thought of helping others as the hands and feet of Christ.
“It’s a very humbling experience for me as well as for the people that I serve,” she said. “You try and make it as easy as you can on the people because I’ve had some people come in and burst into tears. So, you have to be compassionate.”
Said Carson, “There’s no feeling as great as carrying the food out and having somebody just hug you and say, ‘You made a difference.’”
To help eradicate hunger is Geauga County, people can donate — cash or food —directly to a food pantry or through the GHTF. Monetary donations to GHTF can be mailed to 209 Center St., Chardon, OH 44024.
About GHTF
In operation since 1977, the GHTF, a coalition of churches and social service agencies, operates neighborhood-based food pantries that provide 10 days worth of food to residents. There is no restriction as to age, employment status or family size, although residents can only be served once a month.
The seven pantries are located at Burton Congregational Church, Chagrin Falls Park Community Center (Bainbridge Township), Christ Presbyterian Church (Chester Township), First United Methodist Church (Middlefield), Grace Lutheran Church (Thompson Township), Pilgrim Christian Church (Chardon) and Newbury United Community Church (Newbury Township).
Anyone in need of food assistance is encouraged to call Community Connection at 2-1-1 for help to be connected with their local pantry. Information on pantry locations and client requirements also can be found on the task force’s new website, geaugahungertaskforce.org.
