Millersburg Food Run raises record amount for Love Center as need increases

MILLERSBURG — The Love Center Food Pantry recently received its largest donation from the Millersburg Food Run directors after another successful race run this summer.

The Millersburg Food Run was held on July 30 and turned out to be another successful fundraiser for the Love Center Food Pantry.

This year’s race raised $6,800. That is the largest donation since the race started, according to Race Director Eva Durbin.

The 10-K/ 5-K/ and one-mile charity race has been run along the Holmes County Trail since 2018. Even in 2020, when the race was canceled because of the pandemic, it raised valuable funds to address food insecurities in Holmes County.

Durbin noted that the race continues to grow every year, and she is looking forward to see what 2024 brings.

“It’s wonderful to see how the race grows a little every year," she said. "That includes more runners and more business donors. We’d like to see the momentum build so we can continue to support the important mission of the Love Center Food Pantry.”

The Millersburg Food Run is hosted by the Millersburg Seventh-day Adventist church with the proceeds of the race going to the Love Center Food Pantry for their operation and food purchasing expenses.

The race originally was held the first Sunday in August, but scheduling conflicts with set up for the Holmes County Fair led organizers to change the race day to the last Sunday in July. The race this year had its highest turnout since it started and will continue to be held on the last Sunday in July for the foreseeable future.

Love Center appreciates the support

Edgar and Polly Raber, directors of the Love Center Food Pantry, appreciate donations of any size to help support this ministry.

Edgar Raber notes that the need has increased 20% compared to last year, and compared to pre-pandemic volumes, need is up even greater.

"Food just costs more these days,” he said.

More people are visiting the Love Center. There are now some refugee and other immigrant families utilizing the Love Center Food Pantry. Many of these families are being sponsored by local congregations.

The volunteers at the food pantry are using language translators to help their new customers understand the process and get the food they need. This is very real reminder of how global events can impact us right here in Holmes County.

So far this year, Love Center Food Pantry has distributed 450,000 pounds of food to 750 individual families, of which, 150 are first-time recipients.

The Love Center is able to purchase food from the Akron Food Bank for pennies on the dollar. The Akron Food Bank itself has seen an increased need of 30% from all the organizations it serves across seven counties. Many organizations depend on the Akron Food Bank including food pantries, soup kitchens and food backpacks for children.

One of the Akron Food Bank’s goals is to be able to continue supplying food at low-cost to these worthy organizations. However, inflation and supply are always a concern for future availability.

Polly Raber adds that donations from fundraisers like the Millersburg Food Run are extremely valuable.

"It allows us to purchase large volumes when it is available and store the food for future use," she said. "We are blessed to have a large storage space; most food pantries don’t have as much room as we do.”

A big thank you to business sponsors

The race wouldn’t be the successful fundraiser it has become without the partnership of many area business contributing financially, according to Durbin.

This year’s financial donors were: Bentwood Solutions LLC, Berlin Village Inn, Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant, Denco Marketing Co., Dr. Brad Welsh Dentistry & Associates, Dutch Craft Furniture, Dutchman Hospitality Group Inc., East of Chicago Pizza, Guggisberg Cheese Inc., Holmes Tire LLC, Keim, Killbuck Savings Bank Co., Killbuck Thrift Store, Miller, Mast & Mason LTD, Old World Polish Pottery, Pomerene Hospital, Rozuk Radiology, WKLM Radio, Wolf Creek Veterinary Services, and Wooster Orthopaedic.

Businesses contributed in other ways as well. Subway donated gift cards for the participant prizes while some businesses donated gift baskets for the participant gift basket give away. Other businesses donated items for the refreshment table or for the participant goodie basket. Each contribution helped make the race a success for the participants and Love Center Food Pantry.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Millersburg Food Run raises funds for Love Center Food Pantry