'No one will go hungry.' Free micro food pantry helps those in need at NE Ohio church

Art Holden
·2 min read
Emanuel United Church of Christ confirmands Tatum Sutton (left), Lillian Kindel and Nathan Weyand pose by the new micro food pantry known as The Blessing Box at the Doylestown church. Confirmation students helped build the box and decided what to stock in the pantry as part of their service project. The Blessing Box is available for those with grocery needs.

DOYLESTOWN – Emanuel United Church of Christ recently dedicated and opened a micro food pantry to help those with grocery concerns in the Wadsworth, Doylestown, Norton and Barberton areas.

“We saw a need and an opportunity to serve our surrounding communities,” said the Rev. Gaye Santoro, pastor of the church at 16 Eastern Road. “It was a good project for this year’s confirmation class to get involved in. They helped build it and decided what items we will stock the pantry with.

“And,” she added, “we’re already seeing people using it.”

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The Blessing Box stocked with food items to help those in need

The pantry, or as the church calls it, The Blessing Box, is not meant to provide groceries for a week for those in need, but just enough to get them through a day or two.

There are no forms to fill out, no red tape, just show up and take out what you need, as a message on the door of the pantry reminds folks: “Take what you need, leave what you can, little becomes much in the Master’s hand.”

The micro food pantry is open 24-hours a day, seven days a week. It is located at the end of the asphalt parking lot on the sidewalk to the church.

The Blessing Box has food items, such as soups, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, jelly, tuna, pudding, fruit cups, baby food and snacks, and also personal items like toothpaste and shampoo, feminine hygiene products, diapers and pet food.

Attached to the side of the pantry are pamphlets letting those in need know where they can get help in the tri-county area.

"One of the things that attracted me to the micro-pantry project is that it invites the entire community to get involved, with those who are able sharing what they have with those in need,” said Santoro. “If we all share a little, no one will go hungry."

Church members have donated items to stock the pantry, and Emanual is also accepting donations of nonperishable items from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at the church.

Please make sure all donations are not expired.

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This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: The Blessing Box food pantry opens at Emanuel church in Doylestown