A Nationwide Mission
As the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States, Feeding America represents more than 200 member food banks across the country. Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley is an independent nonprofit organization operating and funding local food assistance programs in the Mahoning Valley – every dollar donated stays in our local community.
As a member of Feeding America, we are the designated recipient of national food donors and retailers including Target, Aldi, Meijer and Walmart. Additionally, the Food Bank works to procure food donations from local companies like Giant Eagle and Sparkle Markets, as well as through food drives and campaigns like Harvest for Hunger and Feed our Valley.
History of the Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley began as The Food Assistance Warehouse in the early 1980s when a group of lay and religious leaders realized while people were going hungry, companies were throwing away still edible and nutritious food. This effort would get these companies to donate food to one central location to ease distribution to local charities who were already engaged in the fight against hunger.
The Food Bank was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in December of 1982 when it began operating as a clearinghouse for large quantities of food. In 1994, the Food Bank became a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.
In 2024, the Food Bank distributed over 10.6 million pounds of food, including over 2.5 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Currently, our partner agencies and programs help over 20,000 people with food assistance per week.
For every $1 given, the Food Bank distributes up to $10 worth of food, or up to 5 meals.
Hunger in Mahoning County
1 in 6 people in the Mahoning Valley faces hunger.
Here in the Mahoning Valley too many seniors, families and children continue to face hunger every day. Unemployment, underemployment, low wages, inflation, rising utilities, medicine, gas and food costs often make it difficult for many families to make ends meet.
Each week, over 18,000 people receive food assistance through our 160 partners in the Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties. In 2023, of those who received food, 29% were children and 25% were seniors.
Hunger does not discriminate, affecting every race, background, education level and age. Learn more on Feeding America’s website.
The Link between Hunger & Health
Food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. It can mean anxiety over food sufficiency or food shortages. It can also mean reduced quality, variety, desirability of diet, disruption in eating patterns, and reduced food intake. But the experience of food insecurity is not only one of indignity, injustice, and short-term suffering; food insecurity is also associated with some of the most costly and serious health problems in the U.S. Too often, food insecure Ohioans have to make impossible choices that further threaten their health and well-being, and their ability to mitigate or manage chronic disease, including choosing between buying food or paying for medicine or medical care.
As explained by Feeding America’s Hunger + Health, the cycle of food insecurity and chronic disease begins when an individual or family cannot afford enough nutritious food, illustrated by the image to the right. The combination of stress and poor nutrition can make disease management even more challenging.
Further, the time and money needed to respond to these health conditions strains the household budget, leaving little money for essential nutrition and medical care. This causes the cycle to continue, increasing the risk of worsening existing conditions. Many families experiencing food insecurity often have several, if not all, compounding factors which makes maintaining good health extremely difficult.
The consequences of hunger on individuals, families, and the community are devastating.
Food purchases are often cut back to pay other bills such as:
Give Food
Donations of food from community members, grocers, food distributors and farmers provide a much-needed supplement to those in need. You can help by donating nonperishable food, fresh produce and more. Whether you hold a food drive, give produce from your garden, or have a large industry donation, food assistance is at the core of what we do.
Give Funds
Even a small donation can help a person eat for a day. Your gift will immediately fight hunger in our community. Thanks to our purchasing power through bulk ordering, monetary donations go even further. Monetary donations allow us to purchase food that is needed but not always donated such as meats and fresh produce.
Give Time
Share your time, talents and blessings with Second Harvest Food Bank. Fighting hunger doesn’t always start with a meal. It starts with those who serve. Volunteers are critical in our efforts to provide healthy, nutritious food to our community whether you’re an individual, group or company.
