It Reaches Beyond Food

Located in the heart of Cleveland, Trials for Hope is a nonprofit that delivers food and personal care essentials to neighbors in the Greater Cleveland area. AJ McRainey, director of operations at Trials for Hope, has noticed a worrying trend in need in the Greater Cleveland area. He has seen the number of neighbors needing food almost double. He’s also heard that other agencies have seen the same increase.

Where the pantry once served about 50 households weekly, they now find themselves serving around 100 each day.

AJ says that his eyes have been opened to the realities of hunger and how it can put anyone in the difficult position of paying for food, rent, or utilities: “In terms of actual neighbors showing up, it’s everyone. Everybody’s equal when it comes to hunger,” he says. “I really realized the level and extent of that need, across all levels of society. I mean, these people own houses and mortgages and cars, but they have to pay for those things. And where do you cut?”

These families wait in line, even in the cold and rain, to get the food they need.

“These are people that are gonna wait in line in the cold for sometimes 20, 30 minutes for food … that’s somebody that’s in need. You’re not gonna wait in line when it’s raining for food otherwise. And the levels of gratitude are huge,” AJ tells us.

He also notes that families are extraordinarily grateful for what they receive from Trials for Hope, which goes far above and beyond bags of rice or canned goods. Often, visitors are looking for other household goods that have become almost unaffordable in recent years but that aren’t covered by SNAP benefits. Sometimes, the pantry is even able to provide other necessities. For example, they got food to a neighbor, but he had no way to cook it.

“So we got him a convection oven. And recently, we partnered with the pastor at our church, who has a bicycle program, and he got the one son a bicycle, and he was able to begin working and then contributing to the household. It reaches beyond the food to just creating relationships, which is huge.”

None of this would be possible without Trials for Hope’s partnership with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, which supplies the pantry with both food and household goods for the people who visit. And that wouldn’t be possible without supporters like you! Even as need increases, you are there to look out for our neighbors, just like AJ.

Through your support of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s efforts, families can get the food and necessities they need at their local pantries. Thank you!

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