For several months now, customers at the Mid-Ohio Markets at Gantz Road and Norton Road have been able to browse the same sorts of magazines one would find by the checkout of the local supermarket.
The publications are free for customers to take home, and they’re available thanks to a partnership between MOFC and MagLiteracy, a non-profit that provides magazines to low-income families through schools, libraries, shelters, and pantries. MagLiteracy rescues the magazines from being thrown away or recycled and sends them to partners like MOFC for free.
The program extends the magazines’ life and improves the market experience. More than that, having access to reading material can help people learn new things, land new jobs, and become more self-sufficient, said MagLiteracy founder John Mennell.
“Our goal is to give people the same access to magazines as shoppers at a grocery store checkout or newsstand,” said MagLiteracy founder John Mennell. “Shared missions make food and literacy delivery compelling partners in building better lives for hungry people.”
The partnership has expanded since Mid-Ohio Market at Gantz Road Manager Rebecca Peacock-Creagh first got magazine stands from the former Kroger on Refugee Road (the future home of the Eastland Prosperity Center). The Mid-Ohio Market at Norton Road now has MagLiteracy racks, too.
Rebecca said it’s become a beloved feature of the market. Kids are excited to get copies of “Highlights” and other publications. Once, a customer told her he picks out “Women’s Day” and craft magazines for his wife who is fighting cancer. Another customer even returned a box of magazines because he “wanted others to enjoy them like he did.”
“I think we are a perfect match with MagLiteracy,” said Rebecca. “We want to feed people in a dignified way. Now, we’re feeding body, mind, and soul. That’s really beautiful.”
