Food insecurity is one factor in an exceedingly complex equation. A family experiencing food insecurity is often struggling to pay for rent, utilities, medical care and other essential needs—and making difficult trade offs that compromise their health while perpetuating a vicious cycle of instability.

The true face of hunger is a mother working two jobs, children struggling to learn on an empty stomach, a father skipping a meal so his children can eat. Hunger is not a problem that we can easily see, perhaps because its stigma causes people to hide their need. But research shows that many hardworking individuals are increasingly relying on food banks as a part of their long-term strategies to put food on the table. Food-insecure individuals do not have regular access to enough nutritious food for a healthy, active life. These families, employees, veterans, students, children and senior citizens are the people the West Ohio Food Bank serves. West Ohio Food Bank

Mentors for Paulding County is a non-profit mentoring program that will give youth in our community the opportunity to connect with positive role models. The program will provide youth with support, guidance, structure, and will give the youth someone they can depend on. It will help bridge the generational gap by linking youth to community members that are committed to helping them reach their goals.

The WIC program of Paulding County services its participants by providing supplemental nutrition through specified highly nutritious foods, nutrition education, and referrals to appropriate medical professionals and healthcare providers. The WIC program supports families by promoting positive pregnancy outcomes and giving infants and children a healthy start in life.

The WIC program has been shown to improve pregnancy outcomes by providing or referring to support services necessary for full-term pregnancies and reduce infant mortality by reducing the incidence of low birth weight (infants under 5 ½ pounds are at greater risk of breathing problems, brain injuries and physical abnormalities).

The WIC Program of Paulding County has been above projected caseload since June 2020, with a caseload percentage of 105.6% most recently in June 2021, one of only a few counties above caseload in the state of Ohio. We have been very excited about the participation in our program in the last year, but we also know there are a lot more families that we could help, and we are continuing to work on reaching them!