Nelson Twp. – The Nelson Garrettsville Community Cupboard NGCC opened its doors on February 27, 2012 and are preparing for their Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, March 10th at the Cupboard from 2:00-4:00pm. All are invited to join them for some light refreshments and a tour of the facility. The board will be on hand to answer any questions folks may have about using the cupboard or becoming a volunteer for the cupboard.
Many may wonder how the food bank came to be. It was developed after Trustee Joe Leonard and township resident Mike Elias saw many families struggling to put food on the table. The two set out to see how they could meet the need. After doing research and getting a sponsor they began to lay the groundwork for the facility. They secured the back section of the Isaac Mills building for the food cupboard and the Nelson United Methodist Church agreed to be the sponsor. The next thing they needed to do was renovate the back room to house the food cupboard. The Boy Scouts, Amish community, retirees and others came out to help get the facility ready. It began to take shape and was soon ready to receive food.
The food cupboard is a joint venture with the Akron-Canton Food Bank and will be open on Mondays from 4pm -7pm and on Wednesdays from 9am – noon. The cupboard will be closed any day school is not in session, either for inclement weather or holiday. They will be open during the summer and holiday breaks that are not the actual holiday.
When coming to the food bank folks will need to bring a photo ID and proof of residence in the school district. A current utility bill that has one’s name and address on it will suffice for the proof of address. They will also need the names and birthdates of each person living in the household. Families and individuals are eligible to receive food once every 30 days.
NGCC is open to residents of James A. Garfield School District who meet income guidelines. Residents can register through the county’s “211 First Call” or come in and they will help you register with”211 First Call.” One can expect the registration to take about 5 minutes and be out the door in about 10 minutes. A family member comes in; fills out the registration form and a shopping list from the items available. Then the volunteers will fill the order in a few minutes and get you out the door rather quickly. They will even help you get it to your car if needed.
The food cupboard not only gives out they food, it also accepts donations of cash and or food. However, they are not permitted to accept home-canned items or bakery. Fresh produce is always welcome. In fact, the cupboard is promoting “Plant a row for the hungry campaign”. If you’re a gardener consider planting a row in your garden and donate it to the cupboard. The cupboard will have starter kits for “Plant a row for the hungry” available at the open House. Anyone wanting to make a cash donation can do so by dropping it off at the cupboard or the church, or mailing it to NGCC Food Cupboard, PO Box 210 Garrettsville, Oh. 44231. The food cupboard is operating as a 501© 3 charity, therefore all donations are tax deductible and one will be given a receipt for their donation. Any questions about the food cupboard can be emailed to ngcc305@gmail.com.
The cupboard relies on donations from the community in order to be successful. Some of the items they are looking for are peanut butter and jelly, pasta sauce, toiletries, baking supplies, boxed side dishes, macaroni and cheese etc. So take a look in your pantry and see if you can contribute to shutting the door on hunger in your community.
The cupboard would like to thank all the volunteers, the Amish Community, local Boy Scouts, United Methodist Church, Carter Lumber and area retirees who worked hard or donated goods to the project.
