The West Ohio Food Bank (1380 E Kibby St, Lima, OH 45804) has officially opened up its first-ever food pantry thanks to a grant from UnitedHealthcare. The grant allowed them to purchase freezers and coolers, so they can offer fresh and frozen items to people who need it. The on-site food pantry will be open from 4 to 6 pm on Wednesdays and Noon to 2 pm on Fridays. Some pantries' business hours don't accommodate a working family’s hours, but the West Ohio Food Bank pantry is providing an opportunity to get fresh, healthy meals at a reasonable time.
Linda Hamilton the CEO of the West Ohio Food Bank spoke about the hours of the pantry saying, “Many of the food distributions, even that we have are during daytime hours when it would be difficult for even any of us to be able to get out and participate. So we want to be able to be open when people are able to get off work, not feel as though they have to try to rush in during a lunch hour or rush before they go to work, and maybe feel as though they are not able to get the food. So we want to be able to provide more opportunities for individuals to be able to get access to food.”
UnitedHealthcare gave $500,000 to be given out to various food banks across the state of Ohio with the goal to introduce fresh, healthy foods to people. When people have access to those options they can live a healthier lifestyle too.
The Vice President of United Healthcare, Amy Swanson, said, “80% of a person’s healthcare experience can be centered around things that don’t happen in the four walls of a physician's office. They happen in the community, where they live, work, and play. So ensuring that communities have access to good, quality, healthy food, fresh food is incredibly important to improving their own health outcomes.”
In addition to the grant from UnitedHealthcare, the state is helping out as well with a grant of their own, which will help organizations like the West Ohio Food Bank reach a greater audience and supplying meals to a greater number of people.
The Executive Director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, said, “We were fortunate to get the state to also match that, so we are going to be distributing another half a million dollars in capacity building grants for things like we see here today. Wonderful commercial refrigeration and freezer units to help all of our member charities expand their capacity to receive, store, and distribute more healthy wholesome fruits and vegetables.”
The West Ohio Food Bank covers their normal 11 county area when traditional pantries are closed.
