LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — The West Ohio Food Bank is reminding patrons to follow the rules during monthly food distribution days.
Food bank officials say they are seeing an increase in people arriving too early for their scheduled pickup times and parking in areas not owned by the organization.
Those attending distributions are required to make a reservation for a designated pickup time and are asked not to arrive more than 30 minutes before their appointment.
“The big problem we're seeing is that folks are piling into the Kewpee lot next door,” said Jason Aldrich, communications and public relations manager for the West Ohio Food Bank. “Now, if you're there and you're, you know, way too early for your distribution time, you could be charged with trespassing if you're not a customer at Kewpee hamburger. So please, we're just asking folks to please abide by the rules that we set.”
Officials say the food bank moved to scheduled pickup times several years ago after traffic backups along Kibby Street created issues with the city. The organization schedules approximately 150 people per hour and serves around 850 individuals during the six-hour distribution period.
