mentorpublicschools 2024 0815 - Flipbook - Page 10
healthy helping
By the numbers
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
300
Mentor Schools Food Market distributes thousands
of pounds of fresh produce to community members
every month
Average number of families
helped per Food Market event
A
Pounds of food distributed
from June 2023 to June 2024
car line winds around the parking lot of Jerome T. Osborne Sr.
Stadium, where the monthly
Mentor Schools Food Market volunteers
load trunks with boxes of fresh foods.
Any community member in need can go
home with a healthy helping.
“We are so grateful for our incredibly
meaningful partnership with Greater
Cleveland Food Bank and the opportunity to work together to help alleviate food
insecurity in our community through the
School Food Market program,” says Kristen Estes, the district’s director of community relations.
Greater Cleveland Food Bank has 38
School Food Market partnerships, says
spokesperson Karen Pozna. “The team in
Mentor has been a pleasure to work with
and shows how committed it is to tackling food insecurity,” she says, noting that
the district has hosted a monthly event
since June 2023 and distributed more
than 132,000 pounds of food by the end
of the June market.
Pozna adds, “The program allows us
to partner with schools where we can
distribute food close to home or when
parents are picking up children so it is
convenient and accessible.”
According to a 2023 Feeding America
study, 9.8% of Lake County residents live
10
Mentor Public Schools
/
2024
with food insecurity with an annual food
budget shortfall of more than $16 million. One-third of Lake County households struggle to afford basic needs,
based on a 2023 ALICE in Ohio Report.
Mentor Schools hosts its food market
the fourth Thursday of each month, and
it is open to anyone in need. On average,
each market event serves 300 families,
with the highest-volume market providing food to more than 400 households.
“It takes a lot of manpower to make
this happen,” Estes acknowledges, noting additional partnerships that include
working with Heinen’s Grocery Stores,
United Way of Lake County, the Mentor
Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as
many students, staff members and community volunteers. “We are appreciative
so many people have wanted to help — a
huge thank you to each one of them.”
For each event, volunteers package
fresh, nutritious foods — the selection
varies. Estes says, “It is beautiful produce,
as if you were walking around the aisle
of a grocery store. Our food market has
been extremely well received and attended, and we look forward to the continued
partnership with the Greater Cleveland
Food Bank to benefit our community.”
For more information, visit the district’s website, mentorschools.net.
132,000
30-40 Volunteers Per Event
3,505 Households Affected
4,284 Children Fed
4,779 Adults Impacted
2,590 Seniors Served
future food markets
DATES:
Sept. 26, 2024
Oct. 24, 2024
Nov. 21, 2024
Dec. 19, 2024
Jan. 23, 2025
Feb. 27, 2025
March 27, 2025
April 24, 2025
May 22, 2025
June 26, 2025
TIME: 10 a.m.-noon
LOCATION:
Mentor High School Campus
6477 Center St.,
Mentor, OH 44060
WHO: Free and open to all
community members in need!
