EATON — According to the Foodbank Inc., “In Preble County, 5,110 people struggle with food insecurity (12.3 percent) with 1,940 of them being children.” Food security is defined as “access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.”
In 2018, 11.1 percent of households (37.2 million individuals) in the country were food insecure, according to the US Department of Agriculture. According to Feeding America, “In Ohio, 1,758,310 people are struggling with hunger including 528,960 children.”
That is one in seven Ohioans and one in five children.
The Preble County Branch of the United Way of the Greater Dayton Area recognized that meat is a rarely donated and scarce item at food pantries and wanted to make an impact in an area of need. Partnering with Steiner’s Country Market, the Preble County United Way was able to distribute nearly 350 pounds of pork and beef to local food banks.
“This is not the first meat donation we have made and it will not be the last. We partner with The Foodbank, Inc. year-round to stock the shelves of many Preble County food pantries and the local United Way board allocates a portion of the annual Preble County Golf Outing Funds to donate fresh meat and in-turn support a local business who we partner with to keep costs low and make the biggest impact we can,” reports Tom Maultby, President & CEO of United Way of the Greater Dayton Area.
Alexa Joyce, Preble County Director, added, “Food insecurity can have a rippling effect in a family such as impacting a child’s ability to focus and engage in school. By providing food to low-income families, they are able to reallocate grocery money to other essential needs.”
