Greene County — The Xenia Area FISH Food Pantry holds a food pick-up for families on Wednesdays and Saturdays at its location on Ledbetter Road.
In the last couple of weeks, the organization told News Center 7 it has gone from helping 100 families per day to at least 250. Many of those families said they had lost their jobs, at least temporarily, because of the coronavirus.
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“We went through 730,000 pounds of food last year. When you break that down there’s a constant need. We have photos of the pantry and it looks like it’s full but it cycles through every two weeks,” said Gail Matson, Xenia Area FISH Food Pantry President.
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Organizers are remodeling the pantry’s new location on Cincinnati Avenue as volunteers work to continue feeding those in the Greene County community.
They told News Center 7 there’s a shortage of volunteers because many of the current volunteers are older and more at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
“People right now are depressed and worried about what to do it and how to do it. If they need something to do and want to feel good they should come to help us. Believe me, when you give someone food you get this feeling in your heart and it’s a good thing,” said Brenda Donahue, Xenia Area FISH Food Pantry operations manager.
Greene County residents in need of food can participate in the drive-thru giveaway.
Xenia Area FISH Food Pantry
541 Ledbetter Road (back of the building)
Wednesday - 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday - 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Organizers told News Center 7 that they’ve received generous donations to help get the new location up and running and keep current shelves stocked with food. However, finding a consistent source of food is difficult.
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“Normally if we need extra food we got to local places. We normally order from Wal-Mart, Kroger and Aldi. But right now they’re locked down and can only order for themselves. They can’t give us 100 items so we’re limited to the quantities they sell to everybody,” Matson said.
The Xenia Area FISH Food Pantry cannot accept personal donations of food because of COVID-19 but organizations are looking to identify places where they can buy food in bulk.
The organization hopes to have its new Cincinnati Avenue location open in the next few weeks. To volunteer, contact the pantry at 937-372-8841 or visit https://www.facebook.com/Xeniafishfoodpantry/on Facebook.