As food providers struggle, BACM in Barberton has big plans for expanding services

When Dorothy Suchka Somerville took the reins at Barberton Area Community Ministries, the Barberton food pantry was helping fewer than 1,000 households a month — 781 in 2018, 812 in 2019.

But those numbers exploded when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020. That year, BACM served 8,380 households, followed by 9,551 in 2021.

Despite low unemployment, that number is not shrinking for BACM or other Ohio food banks. As of July 31 this year, 7,049 households have been helped so far at BACM, putting the food pantry on a pace to reach more than 12,000 for the year.

What gives?

“People are having to make tough choices,” the BACM executive director said Tuesday. “(They) either get a tank of gas or (they) can get some food.”

A commendation for Barberton food bank and plans to expand

A retired nurse, Somerville made the tough decision to run BACM about four years ago. On Aug. 8, she received a commendation from Summit County Council for her efforts at the food bank, South Summit Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations.

Award:Barberton food pantry director wins ‘Game Changer’ award from foundation

It’s a lot to juggle, but Somerville isn’t slowing down. She’s looking to expand BACM’s services, and she hopes to do it at the food bank’s current location on Norton Avenue, set along Barberton’s border with Norton. The organization helps feed people in much of southern Summit County, including Barberton, Norton, New Franklin and Clinton.

Right now, BACM is utilizing space provided by the Summit Mennonite Church. But Somerville is hoping the food pantry and church can work out a sales agreement in the near future. BACM has made offers and the church is considering its options.

'The sky is the limit' for the Barberton food bank

The roots of a potential deal were first seeded in April, when the BACM board began to seriously consider expansion, said Dave Stephens, president of BACM’s board of directors.

As the months rolled by, the board decided on an ambitious fundraising goal of $500,000 to purchase a new building.

“If we can give her more operating space and more labor and truly make a community resource center, the sky is the limit,” Stephens said.

More:Coronavirus heroes deliver help to seniors in Barberton area

The church became available at a serendipitous time during that process, and Somerville sees it as the best option for growth. She and Stephens both are confident BACM and the church can work out a deal, and they’re appreciative of the church working with them to make it happen.

“I think it’s important for the community to know they’ve been a gracious partner,” Stephens said.

If a deal is sealed, more space would be available for food storage, and the current pantry area would become a meeting space.

“The sanctuary would become the pantry,” she said. “We’d be tripling our space.”

Local groups like the Magic City Kiwanis, the Norton Kiwanis, and the rotary would also have a permanent meeting room available to them, she said.

“We have been toying around with the idea to move and start a center,” she said. “… I had a donor who came forward and (offered) $300,000 to back a facility for us.”

Stressful time for food banks

Somerville’s ambitious plans come at a time when food pantries and the people they serve are under pressure from increased need and skyrocketing food prices.

The Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday that pantries in Ohio and across the nation are feeling the effects of pandemic-caused supply chain issues that haven’t been fully resolved. Combined with rapidly rising food costs, the situation is increasingly difficult to manage.

“In my 38 years of doing this work, this is the most I have ever been worried about having enough food in our system,” Matt Habash, president and CEO of the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, told The Dispatch. “Our customers are relying upon food from our agency partners in record numbers in response to rising costs on their household budgets.”

At the same time, the newspaper reported, public and private donations have stalled for many nonprofit food bank organizations, or in some cases, plummeted. Food shortages are leading to canceled shipments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to their warehouses.

Somerville and Stephens said BACM hasn’t been immune to such pressures, and they’ve both seen more working families needing assistance.

Somerville said two recent recalls of peanut butter sent the food pantry scrambling to find adequate supplies. Its food bill has risen dramatically with increased demand and high inflation.

BACM’s monthly food bill has risen from $1,800 to $6,000.

“The food banks are getting eaten alive ...,” she said.

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks told the Dispatch that it experienced significant increases in the cost of the food purchased since the beginning of 2022. That includes a 20% increase in the cost of fresh potatoes, a 27% increase in the cost of ham, a 41% increase in chicken noodle soup, a 43% increase in the cost of canned corn, a 70% increase in the cost of a dozen eggs, a 39% increase in peanut butter, and a 63% increase in the cost of a pound of chicken.

Despite the rising costs and increased demand for food assistance, BACM has been able to grow with the help of donors and 80 volunteers a week who help pack and deliver food packages, Somerville said.

Getting creative with food pantry delivery

A DoorDash program serves more than 60 homebound clients a week, and Somerville said the need is far greater. She would like to double that number.

The organization also delivers to senior centers in the city and has an active program developed during the COVID-19 crisis. That program, run by Summit County Council member Bethany McKenney, brings food to seniors unable to access the food bank’s drive-thru distribution on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Drivers Ralph Dowling and Dave Cobb help with delivery and more, Somerville said. “They pack up about 8,000 pounds of food a week,” she said.

Somerville said she’s also considered the possibility of mobile pantries that could move to different, underserved locations.

“I’ve talked to the food bank about pop-up pantries,” she said. “There’s a lot more things we can do.”

'Looking for ways to say yes'

McKenney said it’s thinking like that and Somerville’s inexhaustible desire to help others that led to Summit County Council’s commendation of the food bank director.

“She’s always looking for ways to say yes to help people in the ways they need the most,” McKenney said.

Somerville said she’s seen more working families reach out for help, and more households headed by grandparents.

“We have people in their 70s that are raising their great-grandchildren,” she said. “... Times are tough. Everybody knows that.”

Somerville said she draws inspiration from the volunteers and even former clients who give back.

She cites the example of an older woman who fell on tough times, but is now doing better. She told Somerville she wanted to contribute to the organization that had helped her out, giving more than she probably could afford.

“BACM helped me six years ago and I just want to give back $150,” she told Somerville.

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: As food providers struggle, BACM in Barberton has big plans to expand