In the month that we celebrate the special fathers and father figures in our lives, we would like you to meet one special dad: Jeff DeMange, Second Harvest volunteer. He and his family, which includes his wife, Tina; daughter, Hannah (13) and son, Jadon (9), have been regular volunteers together at Second Harvest since 2011.

Soon local schools will take a break for the summer, but sadly, hunger does not take a break. Those children who have relied on school feeding programs during the school year are the most at risk. To address this issue, Second Harvest, along with several of our charity partners, coordinate the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This program helps to alleviate this troubling reality by serving healthy meals and snacks to children age 18 and younger, free of charge over summer break. Many schools, public agencies and nonprofit organizations sponsor sites in all communities we serve.

As a result of a unique collaboration between Second Harvest and El Centro de Servicios Sociales in Lorain, residents in southern Lorain have access to much needed food through the Mobile Pantry program each month. Mobile pantries are just that: mobile. They can take place just about anywhere, bringing nutritious food to areas that are designated as food “deserts”.

We have the opportunity to win a $10,000 gift to our Second Harvest endowment fund. The Community Foundation of Lorain County is holding a contest to celebrate its 35th anniversary. We need the help of our friends to get our photo to the most number of likes on the Community Foundation’s Facebook page.

Last year over 2,000 volunteers handled over 1.3 million pounds of product, filled 50,000 backpacks for children, and filled 3,500 Mobile Pantry boxes. Needless to say, we could not serve our community without the dedication of our volunteers.