Mobile food pantry coming to local church

VW independent/submitted information

Lincolnview Local Schools and the United Way of Van Wert are partnering again to bring a mobile food pantry to distribute food as part of a service project. The mobile food pantry is being made possible by West Ohio Food Bank, which is also a United Way agency.

The mobile food pantry will be set up at Trinity Friends Church, 605 N Franklin St. in Van Wert, on Tuesday, March 12, from 10 a.m.-noon. The food will be distributed by students until noon or until the food is gone.

Residents of Van Wert and Paulding counties may participate. Recipients will be asked to fill out an eligibility form for West Ohio Food Bank information and provide a picture ID.

Information needed includes a recipient’s name, address, number of people in the household, and, if the household includes minors, their ages.

The mobile food pantry will serve recipients on a first-come, first-served basis, and recipients are asked to bring a box in which to carry items.

West Ohio Food Bank is the largest food distribution system in west central Ohio coordinating, collecting, warehousing, and distributing food. West Ohio Food Bank secures donations from national food and grocery manufacturers, retailers, shippers, packers, and growers and from government agencies, individuals, and other organizations. 

It, in turn, distributes food and grocery items, ensuring the safe storage and reliable distribution of goods to local food pantries and meal programs that served over 5 million meals to children, families, seniors, and other groups at risk of hunger. Together with partner agencies, the West Ohio Food Bank is making progress in helping people overcome food insecurity trying to find their way to self-sufficiency. 

For more information, call the United Way of Van Wert County office at 419.238.6689.