Portage county is made up of some towns, some cities and many rural communities. It is unfortunate, but those citizens in the outlying communities may not have access to the same level of social services as those in the towns and cities. This includes food. Enter Rena and Jason Davis.
The Davises have started the Rural Relief Mobile Food Pantry, (RRMFP.) Perhaps you have seen the iconic short, green repurposed school bus. Perhaps you, or somebody you know, can use the helping hand they offer. Their mission is to ‘address food insecurity in rural Portage County and its underserved communities.” They are targeting the rural areas because these are often the forgotten places. People hear of the plight of the inner cities, the poverty and food insecurity there. Not so much with the rural areas. The couple is determined to knock down social and legal barriers that exist, supply people in need while being as unintrusive as possible, being respectful of their recipient’s dignity. Basically, they want to be neighbors helping out their neighbors.
Unlike many businesses that struggled during the Pandemic, quarantine was the catalyst that started the RRMFP. As the Davises were watching the news and seeing the increasingly long lines at food pantries around the country, they decided to take action. Both Rena and Jason quit their successful jobs in order to do something to help. Since they grew up in the area, they knew that many people in the outlying communities, such as Deerfield and Atwater, weren’t able to get to the pantries. Some were shut ins, some had transportation issues.
They started with no office other than their bus. There are strict health guidelines for food storage, so they would drive to the Akron Canton Food Bank (ACFB) on the morning of their distribution, then drive to the site, give out all of the available food, and generally go home exhausted.
Thanks to a partnership with the Akron Canton Food Bank, generous donations and their status as a 501c3 non-profit, they have secured a space from which to coordinate their giving. Rena says they couldn’t do what they do without the ACFB. The ACFB has been instrumental, helping every chance they get. Nathan Kreis of the ACFB was able to get a refrigerator for their office, as well as takes care of some deliveries for them. Thanks, Nathan!
Now in their second month at their current location, just behind Dunkin Donuts in Rootstown, they look back on their first Distribution. April 29, 2021, in Deerfield. It was chaotic, they weren’t visible from the road so no one knew they were there. They had no idea of how much food to bring, so they were over-stocked. They did have a drive-up donation, which served to get them pumped up, knowing that others wanted to help, too. They met the owner of the Circle Restaurant who now allows them to set up on the corner of the Deerfield Circle and Route 14, just across from the restaurant. Great visibility there!
So, what is a Delivery Day like for them? Well, you have to back up to the day before, the packing day. They have to inventory their supplies to decide what to pack. There is an array of shelf-stable food, and sometimes some meats or fresh food is donated by area business and community members. The food is arranged on the table according to staples, kid friendly foods, type of food, etc. Then it is packed into bundles which are actually reusable bags made of recycled product. Yay, nod to the environment, too! Then, on Delivery Day, the bundles are packed into the bus, and one hour before leaving, they fill the coolers with any perishables. Off to the site. Often, they have people waiting for them. The last delivery they ran out of food before their scheduled time! They have realized that it is impossible to predict how many bundles to bring. Sometimes they have run out in a half an hour, other times they still have bundles left after two hours.
Recipients don’t need to leave their cars to obtain a bundle. RRMFP uses a software program called Fresh Track to increase their efficiency. Unlike many social services, one doesn’t need to produce much paperwork to be accepted. Part of dignity, respect and breaking down barriers…This program also allows them to get to know people faster, and better! It is helpful knowing which people have large families. The respect is working, 72% of the people they served have never accessed a food bank before. That figure speaks to both the increased need and the dignity with which they are treated.
This seems quite an operation for just the two of them. Sometimes a relative or two comes in to help, but it is mostly just them. This reporter was curious, how do they support themselves when this seems to be a full-time job. As it turns out, they had (HAD) a cushion of savings from when they were both working. Not so much anymore. They do contract out to do side jobs, such as painting, some handyman, er, handy couple work. All monetary donations go strictly to the pantry, never their living expenses. Well, this reporter has a number of odd-jobs that need a handy couple.
They use Facebook, yard signs and mostly word-of-mouth to advertise their mission. You can find more about them at their website, http://rrmfp.org, or look them up on Facebook. They go to trustees’ meetings in the various communities they hope to serve. Distribution Days are Tuesdays, and you can find a schedule, as well as the number of people served. You can even view a video of a distribution.
They do have plans for the future. They would like to have more volunteers, to begin delivery to homes for seniors, people with disabilities, and shut-ins. They hope to expand to more communities. To help realize that future, they are having some fundraisers. They have a roller-skating party planned, Rolling Over Hunger on July 31, being held at the Deerfield Skating Center on Route 224. Details are available on their website. They hope to have a Halloween Themed party this Fall. You can go to their Hunger Sucks! Campaign on GoFundMe. As always, you can contact them through the media to make a monetary donation, or drop off a food donation. As the RRMFP is a bus, gas cards are always welcome!
