Second Harvest is the regional nonprofit committed to hunger-relief. Working together with a vast network to acquire, gather, and distribute nutritious food, Second Harvest helps feed tens of thousands of people throughout Crawford, Erie, Huron, and Lorain counties. 

Connecting Our Community to Healthy Food

We realize hunger is not a choice. It affects every community in the four counties we serve. Working with our network of over 130 partner charities and 10+ school districts, including food pantries, hot meal programs, emergency shelters, mobile pantries, senior food delivery and after-school programs, we are meeting people where they are. For every $1 donated, we can provide 6 meals to those in need. 

Mission Statement

Grow hope in our region by creating pathways to nutritious food.

Vision States

A brighter future for all by cultivating a healthy, hunger-free community.

Core Values 

Person-Centered
The people we serve are at the heart of everything we do.  

Forward Thinking  
We will meet people where they are. How can we innovate or partner to improve access?  

Grit and Perseverance
We realize that change is constant. We will dig into hard problems and pivot when something isn’t working. But we will press forward.  

Authentic
Trying new ways of doing things is a means of growth. We will ask questions, look at data and adjust for best outcomes, yet remain true to our core ideals.

Creating Pathways To All

Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture that celebrates diversity and is equitable and inclusive.  

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent our team members invest in their work and board members invest in their board service represents a significant part of not only our culture but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well.  

We embrace and encourage our team members’ and board members’ differences, this includes, but is not limited to, age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, genetic information, and other characteristics that make our employees and board members unique. 

Second Harvest’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are applicable—but not limited—to our practices and policies on recruitment and selection; compensation and benefits; professional development and training; promotions; transfers; social and recreational programs; layoffs; terminations; work with community programs and outreach; and the ongoing development of a work environment built on the premise of gender and diversity, equity and inclusion that encourages and enforces: 

• Respectful communication and cooperation between all team members and board members. 
• Teamwork and team members participation, permitting the representation of all groups and employee perspectives.  
• Work/life balance through flexible work schedules to accommodate employees’ varying needs. 
• Board members', organizational, and team members' contributions to the communities we serve to promote a greater understanding and respect for diversity.