Community stuffs Mercer County Food Bank's bus
Feb. 22—SHARON — Local shoppers helped collect more than a ton and a half of food for the Mercer County Food Bank's latest Stuff the Bus event, but there will be more opportunities to support the food bank's mission.
During the event, held on Feb. 10 at D'Onofrio's Food Center in Hermitage, shoppers were encouraged to stuff the Myron's Meal Mobile bus with donated food.
Between cash and food donations, the Mercer County Food Bank — formerly known as the Mercer County Food Warehouse — received 3,662 pounds of food, Development Director Alexis Spence-Locke said.
"D'Onofrio's shoppers really showed up and showed out," Spence-Locke said.
Previous Stuff the Bus events were held in the Hermitage Giant Eagle, with this latest event marking the first time D'Onofrio's served as the location.
Spence-Locke thanked the community and D'Onofrio's owner, Al D'Onofrio, for his longtime support of the Mercer County Food Bank and his "amazing" participation during Stuff the Bus.
"Al stopped out while people were shopping, he let us pass out flyers at the door, he interacted with customers," Spence-Locke said.
"When we hold events like this, it's really not about brand awareness but raising awareness, and Al really gave us a platform to collect food and advocate for what we do."
That positive response from the community comes amidst a time of increased food insecurity in Mercer County.
In January, the Mercer County Food Bank helped provide 245,535 pounds of food, including 54,000 pounds of fresh produce.
On a typical month, 11,135 residents receive food through the food bank's network of more than 30 agencies and six in-house direct distribution programs, Spence-Locke said.
Based on the "wonderful" collection during this latest Stuff the Bus event, Spence-Locke said food bank officials plan to host another event at the same location, tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 29.
However, another opportunity to support the Mercer County Food Bank's mission will be arriving much sooner — the Empty Bowls fundraiser.
The event will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. April 25 at the Hickory VFW Post 6166, 5550 E. State St., Hermitage.
Empty Bowls, which Spence-Locke described as one of the food bank's biggest fundraisers, offers visitors a meal of soup, bread, and a beverage, as well as an empty, handcrafted bowl, for visitors to keep as a reminder of those facing food insecurity.
The evening also features live entertainment, basket raffles, a silent auction and a cash bar. Previous events have been well-attended, Spence-Locke said.
Tickets for Empty Bowls cost $30, and can be purchased by visiting the Mercer County Food Bank at 109 S. Sharpsville Ave., Sharon, or at the door the night of the event.
Spence-Locke said she also expects the tickets to be available online within a week or two at the food bank's website, www.mercercountyfoodbank.org.
