Students join fight against hunger

CHILLICOTHE – On a week that brought some good news to food banks across the state, four students from Pike Christian Academy’s National Honor Society chapter stood outside the Good Samaritan Network in Chillicothe Friday morning making their own mark in feeding the hungry.

The four students, sophomore Aidan Perry and seniors Myla Netral, Michael Jayne and Sterling King, set up a pair of tables under the watchful eye of adviser Gayle Kramer that were full of items for anyone passing by to partake in a free lunch. The four, along with seniors Naomi Dempsey and Aaron Coy, make up the fledgling Pike Christian chapter that is also led by Miranda Smith.

The service project brought the chapter members outside their usual zone of service in Pike County.

“A lot of our projects have been right around the school, so we’re trying to reach out into the community a little bit more,” Kramer said. “Our school is actually participating in a whole-school project called the Serve-a-thon, and each class is taking a project. We already had classes that were collecting food for the food bank in Pike County and (items for) Elizabeth’s Hope and stuff like that, and I knew a gentleman who volunteered here and he helped us to get set up to come up here.”

The Honor Society students, along with some teachers, used their own money to purchase the foodstuffs given away Friday morning. The response made the effort well worth it, they said.

“Just seeing how appreciative people are when they get the sack lunch,” Jayne said. “They’re really happy and it makes you feel good.”

Those working inside the food pantry were full of praise for the students, noting that in addition to providing the food, the young people were quick to hold a door open for someone or help people take their pantry items out to their cars.

The students are also active in several projects with Pike County’s senior center, which is near the school. Kramer feels it’s important that the academy’s students are visible in the community.

“For us, especially as a private school, that’s what we’re trying to do with this Serve-a-thon is we’re trying to say we want to come out and be part of the community and not just asking for things,” she said.

Speaking of asking for things, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which helps support Good Samaritan, was successful this week in a request to the Ohio House of Representatives regarding funding in the 2016-17 biennial budget proposal. Following the House’s original proposal that would have provided $14.5 million each of the two years, the organization that represents 12 member food banks and 3,300 hunger relief agencies statewide asked in a statement April 14 for support of an amendment to boost the level to $17.25 million. Earlier this week, the amended House Bill 64 with the additional funding was passed.

“By supporting an additional $2.75 million per year in the 2016-17 biennial budget for Ohio’s food banks, for a total of $17.25 million per year, members of the Ohio House have signaled their commitment to ensuring their constituents have access to nutritious food,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt in a statement to the House. “Thank you for recognizing the devastating and lasting impacts that hunger has on long-term educational achievement, worker productivity and health outcomes and the importance of taking action against the hunger crisis in Ohio.”

The measure still has to make it the rest of the way through the budget process.

Good Samaritan in Chillicothe felt the weight of that hunger crisis late last year, putting out a plea in early December that cash reserves would soon be depleted unless revenues increased to keep pace with demand. Steve Neal, treasurer for the organization, said the community responded.

“I’ve been involved for quite a few years and, typically speaking, when we’ve made the community aware that we were in need of some resources, they’ve come through strong,” Neal said. “That’s the kind of community we live in.”

That was evident in December, as by the end of the month, the organization had gone from a dire situation to a $60,000 surplus to help start the new year. In donated food alone, not including items purchased with donated money, the pantry took in 129 tons of food in 2014, up from 117 tons the year before.

Neal said every bit of the donations, both in cash and food, are needed. Good Samaritan provided help to 14,023 people in 2014, an 8 percent increase from the 13,021 the year before. In the first three months of this year, the trend is running at another 5 percent increase.

“We’re trying to meet the need and we know there’s still need out there and we’re just trying to do the best we can,” he said.

cbalusik@nncogannett.com

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Twitter: @Chris_Balusik