Foodbank partners with Emerge to feed men in their recovery housing program
XENIA — Seeing the impressive progress underway at Emerge Recovery & Trade Initiative, officials at the Foodbank in Dayton said they are excited to partner with the non-profit organization here to help provide meals to clients and people in need.
“When there are organizations in the community that feed people in need, it’s really easy and natural for us to partner up with them,” said Lee Lauren Truesdale, chief development officer at the Foodbank, Inc. “We saw Emerge was needing to feed people in their program. We also support re-entry hiring here. Because of this, Emerge will receive food from the Foodbank at no cost and order the items as needed.”
Currently, the Foodbank Inc. serves Montgomery, Greene and Pebble Counties; it has been compared to “a Sams Club or Cosco for emergency food distribution.”
“We distribute 16 million pounds of food per year through various agencies, including Emerge,” Truesdale said. “We aren’t a food pantry. Our services go to our agencies, like Emerge.”
Foodbank is currently partnered with 110 agencies. Emerge is one of its most recent organizations — one of 14 in Greene County.
“This is very exciting,” Truesdale said. “We have been working with Emerge for some time. I started hearing about Emerge in 2021. Our CEO Michelle Riley has been working specifically with Emerge.
Because of the partnership, Emerge will be able to order and receive food from the Foodbank at no cost to provide to the growing list of clients entering the program.
“We are the food provider,” Truesdale said. “Feeding folks through your program helps support recovery and job training in the trades.”
Elaine Bonner, Director of Philanthropy at Emerge, said the Foodbank team has supported Emerge since their earliest days.
“We are grateful for this partnership that will provide nutritious meals for the men in our recovery housing program,” Bonner said. “We are honored to have their support as together we strive to rebuild lives.”
“Emerge is a progressive nonprofit that truly meets the needs of each person they serve, addressing the social determinants of health — providing a two generational solution to poverty,” said Michelle L. Riley CEO, The Foodbank, Inc. “This is a win, win for our community and The Foodbank could not be more thrilled to partner with Emerge to address the root causes of poverty.”
What is the Foodbank?
The mission of The Foodbank is to eliminate hunger and its root causes. Food and related supplies are distributed to a network of shelters, pantries, community kitchens, and other charitable organizations and programs — all of which support the health and development of food-insecure individuals in Montgomery, Greene, and Preble Counties.
It is part of Feeding America’s Network of 206 food banks across the nation, and it is 1 of 12 in the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. However, their work goes beyond the hunger and food scape, as they also have commitments to disaster relief, re-entry/recidivism, workforce development, community development, and equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts.
Hunger in Dayton
The Foodbank works with a network of more than 100 nonprofit partner agencies, representing 110 programs, across Montgomery, Greene, and Preble counties to ensure that all residents have the food they need to live active, healthy lives.
In addition to their partners’ work, they also operate eight service gap programs across the tri-county region to reach the nearly 100,000 residents who struggle with food insecurity.
For more information on Emerge, to donate or get involved contact Elaine Bonner, Director of Philanthropy at Emerge at 937.974.6120 or visit www.emergerecoverytrade.com
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