COLUMBUS (WCMH) — NBC4 is committed to being Local 4 You, and on Friday, the NBC4 team will be living that motto by giving back to the Columbus community.
Volunteers from NBC4 are now among the thousands of volunteers who help out at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank each year so people in our community can get the food they need.
A group of about 20 employees from NBC4 helped out Friday morning during Nexstar’s Founder’s Day of Caring 2018.
As people came through the pantry at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, they were able to select from fresh produce, frozen items, bread, dairy and eggs.
“This is neighbors helping neighbors, at the end of the day,” said Matt Habash, president and CEO of the Foodbank.
According to Habash, it takes about 11,000 volunteers, or approximately 66,000 volunteer hours per year, to keep the Foodbank running. That only includes its Grove City headquarters and warehouse, as well as its farm and community gardens.
Not included in that number are the volunteers at approximately 650 partner agencies across 20 counties. Habash said nearly three-quarters of its partner agencies rely entirely on volunteers.
“It takes a lot, so the fact that Channel 4 is here today is huge for us, to have a group of volunteers that are willing to come in, spend some time,” Habash said. “And also thank you to the company, cause the company’s basically saying, ‘Go do this for a day, go do this across the community. Get involved.’”
The Foodbank says this work helps to feed the hungry in central Ohio. Statewide, one in six Ohioans is at risk of hunger, and that number increases among children, to one in four.
Habash said there are 69 million missed meals in Franklin County alone and about 144 million missing meals in the 20 counties it serves. That means about 400,000 people who live under 200 percent of the poverty line (approximately $23,000 for a single person and $40,000 for a family of three) are missing an entire day of eating each week.
More than 65 percent of the food distributed or served by the Foodbank is fresh, and that means the goal is to get food out of the Grove City warehouse within 48 hours of its arrival.
“Without the volunteers, without the community’s response, we couldn’t do what we do, so we are extremely grateful,” Habash said.
If you’re interested in volunteering your time or donating money to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, you’ll find more information on midohiofoodbank.org.
NBC4 staff will also be volunteering with Columbus Metro Parks on Friday. With 19 parks and 27,000 acres of land the Metro Parks system has something for everyone.
The parks are maintained through the help of voters, volunteers and visitors.
“The park district gets almost 11 million people coming to it every year,” said Tim Moloney with Columbus Metro Parks.
The NBC4 team is going to help clean up the parks today, so everyone can continue to enjoy using them.
