Displaying items by tag: Foodbank

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank announced Monday morning that they will merge with Community Harvest out of Stark County. Foodbank CEO Dan Flowers tells 1590 WAKR that the two nonprofits had been in talks since 2014, and they're very excited for it to finally take effect January 1, 2017. 

Flowers says the eight-county region that the Foodbank services is only going to be better serviced and eventually expand with the added services provided by the two-company merger. He says, "Initially, we hope that donors and recipients of Community Harvest don't notice really any change, to be honest, from the beginning," referring to the continued level of service the Foodbank plans to provide for those who need it. 

See more in the press release from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank below: 

FOODBANK AND COMMUNITY HARVEST TO MERGE TO EXPAND HUNGER-RELIEF EFFORTS IN STARK COUNTY

Akron, OH – (Nov. 21, 2016) – The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and Community Harvest, a food rescue organization, are merging into one organization with a greater capacity of serving those struggling with hunger in Stark County. The boards of both nonprofits have signed letters of intent and expect the merger to take effect January 1, 2017. 

The merger will expand the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s abilities to reach further into the Stark County community served by Community Harvest’s food rescue program. Food rescue is the process of safely recovering a surplus food from the supply chain and distributing it to people in need. Not only does food rescue help ensure that millions of Americans have access to quality meals, it is also key to helping combat food waste.

“The Foodbank and Community Harvest share the same goal, so formally teaming up is a natural step,” said Dan Flowers, president & CEO of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. “While the Foodbank’s operations won’t change, we’re confident this merger will drive efficiencies while creating new energy and innovation centered on unique ways of solving hunger in our community.”

Community Harvest was one of the first nonprofit groups in the country to establish an innovative food rescue program. Community Harvest collects excess prepared and perishable food and donates it to community groups that serve families struggling with hunger. This simple concept that began with a goal of preventing food waste while helping hungry people has evolved into a collaboration of numerous resources and agencies dedicated to providing more than 80,000 meals a month for those in need in Stark County.

“Community Harvest is tremendously grateful for the Foodbank’s and our community’s support through the years,” said Faith Barbato, executive director of Community Harvest. “We think daily about the one in four children in our community who live in households that experience hunger. By joining forces, our combined organization will provide more food than ever before. Together, our programs at Community Harvest will continue as before, but as part of the incredible work of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.”

Grant funding received from the W. Henry Hoover Fund at Stark Community Foundation, The Paul & Carol David Foundation, and Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton will support the implementation of the merger.  The grant was awarded as a result of the Stark Community Foundation’s Future of Food Security county assessment and future framework for change in a second round of funding to address food security. 

The Akron-Canton Foodbank is lending a helping hand to residents in Flint, Michigan with its water crisis after tests revealed the city's water supply contained elevated levels of lead. The foodbank has partnered with FirstMerit Bank to load and ship bottled water to those in need.

Akron-Canton Foodbank President and CEO Dan Flowers grew up in Michigan and started his career at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint. He says the crisis hits close to home.

 "When this crisis emerged, it just seemed like the right thing to do to share some of our water in our inventory," said Flowers.

A semi-trailer filled with 40-thousand pounds of bottled water left to eastern Michigan this morning. The water will be donated to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and will be distributed to hundreds of hunger-relief programs like food pantries, hot meal sites and shelters.

"It's representative of that spirit of generosity and sharing that I think has made this community great and we know that it's going to help the people of Flint," said Flowers. "If we have more water donations that come our way that we can share, we're happy to do that."

------

(Press Release: Akron-Canton Foodbank) The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank in collaboration with FirstMerit Bank, have assembled a quick response to support a partner food bank in Flint, MI that is currently experiencing a contaminated water crisis.

A public health emergency has been declared in Flint, MI, after tests showed the city's water supply caused elevated levels of lead in children, following months of complaints about the smell and taste.

Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank staff and volunteers loaded bottled water onto a semi-trailer for departure early Wednesday morning. The Foodbank’s trailer, carrying approximately 40,000 pounds of bottled water sourced from its Feeding America partnership, will travel to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and is scheduled to arrive later on Jan. 20, 2016.

"The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank has a long and great partnership with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint. I grew up and started my career at that Food Bank. We have shared food and ideas with one another for many years. Our hearts break for the good people of Flint that are met with this unfortunate water issue. As the Akron community has done many times before in times of crisis, we are glad to share a load of water with them during this time of need and will stand by to help more if we can," said Dan Flowers, President and CEO of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

The water donated to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan will be distributed to its network of more than 400 hunger-relief programs like food pantries, hot meal sites and shelters.

“FirstMerit has always been an active leader in disaster recovery relief, here in our hometown region and elsewhere, such as New York City after 9/11 and the East Coast following Hurricane Sandy. With so many FirstMerit employees and their families living and working in Flint, this disaster hits close to home. We are pleased to be able to help the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank by covering the transportation costs of getting all of this drinkable water to the good folks in Flint,” said Nicholas Browning, Akron Regional President at FirstMerit Bank.

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan are both members of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. Feeding America is a nationwide network of food banks that provide food to virtually every community in the United States.