Each year, more and more older adults are making a positive impact in and around our community. As volunteers, employees, employers, educators, mentors, advocates, and more, they offer insight and experience that benefit the entire community. That’s why Older Americans Month (OAM) has been recognizing the contributions of this growing population for 56 years.

Second Harvest honored the volunteers from this past year at the annual appreciation event held at the Vermilion Boat Club on May 2, 2019. Many Volunteers were on hand to enjoy a special evening of food, fun and appreciation.

This is National Volunteer Month, when we celebrate the work that volunteers do year-round. The late President George H. W. Bush designated April as the national month to celebrate and honor volunteers as part of the 1000 Points of Light campaign in 1991. As a result, each year at this time, we try to take some time to focus on the gift of our volunteer corps and shine a light on all they do, in joy, happiness and gratitude.

Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio’s (Second Harvest) is proud to announce Dr. Marcia Ballinger, President of Lorain County Community College, as the Honorary Chairperson for the 2019 Harvest for Hunger campaign which will kick-off on March 5 and run through the month of April.

Laura Tanner is from South Lorain and first learned that she and her husband might be eligible to get fresh produce at a local distribution from her neighbor who offered her some carrots and blueberries. They soon attended the food distribution at Mother Cabrini’s, themselves and got more than they bargained for. Not only were they able to receive fresh, healthy produce, they were able to get to know so many helpful and caring people along the way.

Laura is 80 years old and is partially blind. When she was 73, she was in her 23rd year of working for a local banquet facility when she contracted a rare eye disorder that left her with permanent eye damage forcing her to retire. She and her husband found themselves needing to cut corners and live as simply as possible. When she went to her first mobile produce pantry at Mother Cabrini’s four years ago, she was amazed and grateful for the bounty of fresh produce that they could get and insists on respecting the opportunity. “I only take what we can use,” Laura insists. “Never any more. It is such a gift.”