SCHTF COMMUNITY CAMPUS PANTRY
In 2009, the Stark County Hunger Task Force moved our offices from Cleveland Avenue to the Ken Weber Community Campus at Goodwill in downtown Canton. With access to a campus full of social services, one can walk out of the building with a cart full of groceries, job training, counseling, tax services, and much more. In 2013, the pantry served an average of 2,000 Stark County residents each month. By 2015, those numbers had risen to an average of 2,800 a month. The numbers are again on the rise, as federal assistance to families and individuals continues to decline. We now serve over 4,000 a month.
Community Campus Food Pantry
Location
Ken Weber Community Campus at Goodwill
408 9th St SW Canton, OH 44707
Hours
Monday & Tuesday: 9:15am to 2:35pm
Wednesday: 9:15am to 3:35pm
Thursday & Friday: 9:15am to 1:35pm
We are closed on all major holidays and when the Goodwill campus is closed.
To assist our volunteers and make the process as efficient as possible, our Community Campus Pantry has a set number of appointment times each day. Appointment tickets can be obtained at either reception desk starting at 8:00am Monday-Friday. Please arrive at your appointment time and no earlier; if you are late, we may not be able to serve you. Please contact us at 330.455.6667 with any questions.
Eligibility
1. Stark County residency
2. Possession of a valid photo ID*
3. Household income requirements (see below)
*If the address on your ID is not up-to-date, we ask that you bring supporting documentation of your current residence (i.e., copy of a lease agreement or a utility bill), so we can ensure that our clients are actively living in Stark County.
When receiving assistance, clients sign what is called a TEFAP form. By doing so, they certify that they meet the following income requirements, which place them below 200% of the poverty level as defined by federal standards to receive food assistance:
Download a copy of the 2017-2018 TEFAP (English)
2017-2018 TEFAP: en Español
Becoming a Proxy:
If you are assisting a friend or family member with their groceries because they are disabled or housebound, please fill out this form prior to your visit. Bring it with you to be deemed their “proxy” and thus able to pick up groceries for them.
Link to download Letter of Proxy Form
Elegibilidad para Llevar Alimento a Casa Carta del Apoderado “Proxy”
PANTRY SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Stark County Hunger Task Force supports more than 30 food pantries across Stark County. Pantry locations include Massillon, Canal Fulton, Beach City, Jackson Township, Perry Township, Canton, North Canton, Plain Township, Louisville, Alliance, Canton South, Minerva, Waynesburg and East Sparta. Pantry visitors are met by friendly volunteers who verify client eligibility and help provide critical food assistance to over 29,000 Stark County residents each month.
For emergency food assistance, please call 2-1-1 for the pantry nearest you.
All Saints Temple
1451 Wilbur Allen, Jr. Dr
Canton, OH 44707
Alliance Community Pantry
215 East Market St
Alliance, OH 44601
Believers Assembly Church
131 Church Ave N
Beach City, OH 44608
Canal Fulton Community Cupboard
8101 Manchester Rd NW
Canal Fulton, OH 44614
Canton Friendship Center
2200 Cleveland Ave NW
Canton, OH 44709
Community Drop-In Center
1492 Cherry Ave SE
Canton, OH 44707
Crossroads United Methodist Church
120 Cleveland Ave
Canton, OH 44702
Grace Fellowship
6282 Nave St SW
Canton, OH 44706
Grace United Church of Christ
2300 Cleveland Ave N
Canton, OH 44709
Faith Kitchen
2219 Mahoning Rd NE
Canton, OH 44705
Helping Hands Network
126 S Main St
Waynesburg, OH 44688
John Knox Presbyterian Church
5155 Eastlake St NW
North Canton, OH 44720
Lake Township FISH
934 W Maple St
Hartville, OH 44632
Louisville Community Cupboard
930 Nickelplate St
Louisville, OH 44641
Minerva Community Outreach at St. Paul's
515 E Line St
Minerva, OH 44657
Minerva United Methodist Church
204 N Main St
Minerva, OH 44657
Mount Zion Community Church
2637 Baum St SE
Canton, OH 44707
North Canton Church of Christ
1301 E Maple St
North Canton, OH 44720
Rivertree Christian Church
7373 Portage St NW
Massillon, OH 44646
St. Barbara Catholic Church
2813 Lincoln Way NW
Massillon, OH 44647
St. Joan of Arc
4940 Tuscarawas St W
Canton, OH 44708
Salvation Army of Canton
420 Market Ave S
Canton, OH 44702
Salvation Army of Massillon
315 6th St NE
Massillon, OH 44646
Salvation Army of Minerva
301 Valley St
Minerva, OH 44657
Sherrick Road Church of God
1121 Sherrick Rd SE
Canton, OH 44707
SCHTF Community Campus Pantry
408 9th St SW
Canton, OH 44707
Team Jesus
7096 Hills & Dales Rd NW
Canton, OH 44708
The Summit
1300 Pittsburg Ave
North Canton, OH 44720
The Vine
1544 Vine St
Alliance, OH 44601
TOSM
Mobile pantry; location varies
Tuslaw Food Pantry (Chapel of the Cross UMC)
14411 Orrville St NW
North Lawrence, OH 44666
Urban Ark Ministries
715 2nd St NE
Canton, OH 44704
Zion Lutheran Church
349 Lindy Ln NW
North Canton, OH 44720
BECOME A SCHTF PANTRY
The Stark County Hunger Task Force is a support organization committed to the alleviation of hunger in our communities. We offer a variety of services:
- We work with a wide net of individuals, schools, businesses, and civic organizations to organize food drives. That food is then picked up by individual pantries and taken directly to their sites. Every effort is made to ensure that the pantries we work with receive a fair share of food from these collections.
- We solicit funds from individuals, churches, businesses, and civic groups. Those funds are used to purchase food from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank (ACRFB). Almost all of our pantries have a specific allowance per month from the Hunger Task Force to shop at the ACRFB. We must stretch every dollar donated to us, and be responsible stewards of the donations entrusted to us. Financial support is based on a calculation derived from your pantry’s total budget, and the amount of people you serve each month.
- The Stark County Hunger Task Force vehicles are available for our pantries to borrow for their hunger fighting needs. This includes, but is not limited to, making trips to Akron for pick-ups from the Foodbank.
- We work with our pantries to determine special needs, such as freezers, refrigerators, dollies, and shelving, as well as other products. When those needs are identified, we seek out grant money or use donations to meet them.
Both existing and newly-founded pantries can apply to become part of the Stark County Hunger Task Force network by filling out the form below, and by calling our office at 330-455-6667 or sending an inquiry to P.O. Box 20941, Canton, OH 44701.
In order to be accepted, pantries must:
- Have a food pantry which is ready to distribute, with a location and regular hours of operation determined. The site must be able to provide volunteers to order and pick up food, prepare bags for give-away, qualify applicants, and do minimal record-keeping. The Foodbank will also provide government guidelines the pantry must follow. In most cases, the pantry will also need some financial support beyond the Hunger Task Force.
- Have 501(c)3 non-profit determination, with documentation of that status from the IRS. Applications can be picked up from the post office, and usually require the assistance of an attorney to be completed.
- Be a member of the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank in good standing. Please call Katie Carver at 330-777-7577 for an application.
- New pantries must be in a geographic location not already covered by one of our existing member pantries, or have different operating hours not covered by existing member pantries within that geographic area.
- Pantry directors and/or staff will be asked to attend our monthly meetings, which are held on the first Thursday of every month at 9:30am in The Community Campus at Goodwill (408 9th. ST SW, Canton, OH, 44707).
- Submit monthly reports to the Stark County Hunger Task Force that include the latest monthly numbers, using your ACRFB member identification number on our required form.
- Complete a yearly survey in order to identify and evaluate your pantry’s needs.
Download link for New Member Application
If you have any questions concerning applications for new pantries, or regarding general information on becoming a Stark County Hunger Task Force pantry, please do not hesitate to contact Stephanie Sweany, our Executive Director, via email at stephanie@starkhunger.org.
Designed specifically to target childhood hunger, every month our Backpack for Kids Program supplies crucial weekend meals to over 2,200 school-aged children at seven local elementary schools in three Stark County school districts. Students at risk of weekend hunger receive a bag of food from which they can easily assemble four healthy, non-perishable, and kid-friendly meals to sustain them over the weekend. Students are identified by their participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), through which they receive free and reduced lunches during the school week (Monday through Friday).
For the hungry and food-insecure children of Stark County, the only meals they can count on often come from in-school initiatives. But if these children are in need Monday through Friday, what happens when they go home for the weekend without the safety net of school breakfasts and lunches? The sad truth is that these children have to worry about where their next meal will come from. They show up to school on Monday morning without having eaten enough, or very much at all. The Stark County Hunger Task Force thinks there’s something wrong with that picture, and we know you do as well.
That’s why we supports 9 Backpack Programs — seven right here in the Community Campus Pantry — and two more at network members Canton Calvary Mission and Sherrick Road Church of God, who also run summer meals though the Summer Feeding Service Program (SFSP) .
1 in every 4 Stark County children is hungry, or food-insecure, meaning their families often struggle to put enough food on the table. Some live in poverty, some do not, and a hungry child looks just like any other. But the cost of childhood food insecurity is staggering, and the stakes have never been higher.
HOW DOES HUNGER IMPACT CHILDREN?*
- Lack of enough healthy food can impair a child’s ability to concentrate and perform well in school.
- They are more likely to be sick more often, to recover from illness more slowly, and to be hospitalized more frequently
- Increases the chance they will have significantly higher levels of behavioral, emotional and academic problems, and issues with aggression and anxiety
- They are more likely to experience headaches, stomachaches, colds, and ear infections; and they are less likely to be rated in “excellent” health vs. kids from non food-insecure homes.
- Puts them at a higher risk for classroom difficulties, including less achievement gains in math and reading, increased inattentiveness, and even repeating a grade.
In 2012, 31.5% of Stark County residents lived below 200% of the poverty level — it shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that during the 2013-2014 school year, 46% of students enrolled in Stark County schools – public, private, and charter – received free or reduced lunches through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). But within the schools served by our Backpack for Kids programs, the need is even higher. A whopping 82% of all the children who attend school at the five elementary schools served by our program receive free or reduced lunch.*
Gibbs Elementary (Canton City Schools): 99.61%*
Allen Elementary (Canton City Schools): 96.39%*
Cedar Elementary (Canton City Schools): 89.32%*
Franklin Elementary (Massillon City Schools): 81.34%*
Taft Elementary (Plain Local Schools): 57.02%*
What about the weekend? If these children are in need Monday through Friday, is there a need for Saturday and Sunday?
Of course there is a need for weekend meals – that is why we focus on these times, when the children are not receiving their free and reduced lunches. Our Backpack for Kids Program places security in these children’s hands through “backpacks” full of meals. We supply two nutritious breakfasts, two lunches, and two snacks, which are distributed by the school on Fridays. Each month, SCHTF serves packs to 2,200 children, making their weekend healthier and even a little brighter.
The Backpack for Kids Program not only helps these Stark County children come back to school on Monday better prepared to learn and concentrate — it means they can focus on being a kid on the weekend, instead of wondering if and when they will be able eat. But we need your help to serve them.
You can help us make the lives of food-insecure children at 5 Stark County schools healthier and brighter, and you can do it easily. It only costs $10.00 to sponsor 1 child for 1 month! You can choose the number of children you wish to support as well as the duration, and can also choose to sponsor a school for one week ($250).
You can make a difference by supporting the Backpack for Kids Program and sponsoring a child.
If you or your company would like to sponsor the Backpack for Kids Program, please contact Maureen Tate at 330-455-6667 ext. 2809, or by email via maureen@starkhunger.org.
*Facts represent research from a variety of sources, all compiled and accessed through NoKidHungry