COPLEY, Ohio — At the Copley Outreach Center, the shelves are packed with food and the non-profit is running out of room for storage.
With an increased need in the area, the non-profit is turning to the public, asking for help with funding to create more space.
For 10 years, Jessica Byers has relied on the center to help feed her family of five. She works four jobs, but with rising costs, she said she still needs assistance at times.
"The rent prices keep going up, the gas prices, the food prices are not coming down. And just for a family of five, it is very difficult," Byers said.
Since 2019, the number of families receiving food from the center has more than quadrupled from 15 families to about 70.
Also growing is the number of bags needed for the center's Backpack Program, which provides additional food for Copley students over the weekends.
"There's 130 students and each one will get one of these bags," volunteer director Maryann Henry said.
In Summit County, about 15% of people face food insecurity, and with a jump in need, Henry said changes are needed at the pantry, which is an old house that dates back more than a century.
"The house was actually built in 1900, so it's got really great bones," Henry said.
But Henry said the issue is that the pantry is running out of space to store all of the food for families.
She said it's a balancing act between how much food to order from the food bank and stores and where to put it.
"We're usually heading down to the foodbank once, twice a month," Henry said. "But because we don't have the storage space, we can't purchase large quantities."
So now, the center is reaching out to the community for assistance in expanding.
It has started a fundraiser on its website to raise money for a 320-foot stock room to be built on the back of the building. The cost is estimated to be about $68,000.
"We would like to get a little bit of help so that we can add on to this building and continue to service the community," Henry said.
In the meantime, Byers said she's grateful that the pantry will be there for her when she needs it again.
"They do so much for the community," Byers said.
