Blessing Basket Food Pantry assists veterans
WILLARD — Ryan Wolfe has been volunteering for the Blessing Basket Food Pantry in Willard for three months.
A part-time driver for the Huron County Veteran Service Office, Wolfe helps distribute food. At first he delivered to nearly a dozen veterans; now he said that number has increased to 20.
Joseph Levi Jr., an 80-year-old U.S. Army veteran, regularly volunteers for the Blessing Basket Food Pantry.
A Huron County Veteran Service Office van is full of food from the Blessing Basket Food Pantry in Willard to be delivered to area veterans.
The Blessing Basket Food Pantry has served nearly 1,270 area families so far in 2021. Pantry coordinator Vonda Patrick said a total of 4,189 people have received food through the end of March and of those individuals, 1,921 were adults who are 18 to 59 years old. Started in October 2018, the Blessing Basket Food Pantry is based out of the Willard Church of God, 4551 Willard West Road.
The pantry has a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Lorain, Ohio, which is where the pantry buys its food. “From October 2018 to October 2020, the Blessing Basket has served 4,226 families and 15,892 people. These numbers seem to rise every month,” Patrick said.
Among the pantry volunteers are veterans. One of the regulars is Tom Hicks, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1971 through 1977. From 1978 through 1993, he was in the U.S. Army. Veteran Joseph Levi Jr. also volunteers. He served in the Army from 1963 through 1965. “(He) helps us in the pantry every time we serve the people,” Patrick said. “He looks much younger than 80 and is also a great guy.”
The Blessing Basket Food Pantry is open on the first and third Saturday of each month from 12 noon to 2 p.m. For the rest of the year, it will be open: July 3 and 17, Aug. 7 and 21, Sept. 4 and 18, Oct. 2 and 16, Nov. 6 and 20, and Dec. 4 and 18.
A truck delivering the food comes to the pantry on the first and third Tuesday of each month. For the remainder of 2021, that schedule is: June 1 and 15, July 6 and 20, Aug. 3 and 17, Sept. 7 and 21, Oct. 5 and 19, Nov. 2 and 16, and Dec. 7 and 21. Blessing Basket is always looking for volunteers. For more information, call pantry coordinator Vonda Patrick at 419-357-4642 or email her at preacherswife.vp@gmail.com.
Thank you to Cary Ashby for another great story published and shared from the Huron County Veteran Service Office newsletter. If you would like to sign up for this information, please visit this link below.