Volume 2, Issue 2
Welcome to MOFC Story Bites, where we share bite-sized stories about real people living with or fighting food insecurity. This edition is in recognition of Hunger Action Month, a month-long campaign to spread awareness of hunger and encourage people to get involved.
Each of these three Customer Advisory Council (CAC)* members take action against hunger by volunteering. In spite of the personal circumstances that led (and keep) each neighbor to need food assistance, they actively choose to give help back—in whatever way they can.
*Click here to read more about MOFC’s 2026 Customer Advisory Council and meet the other members.
Janna
Janna is one of just 10 regular volunteers at MOFC partner Sonshine Food Pantry in Belmont County, and she’s also one of the dozens of neighbors who shop there.
Her rural town is underprivileged with no grocery stores. The pantry is the only source of help around, said Janna, so she tries to make food assistance less intimidating for her neighbors.
When she volunteers, she brings in unusual recipes, like squash bread and zucchini brownies, to encourage people to get creative with what’s in stock. Janna’s recipe cards and samples have become a treasured part of the shopping experience.
“I had a good job and nice things, so I feel like I’m giving back from everything I had. I came here with nothing, and I basically still have nothing,” she said.
Janna moved to Belmont County nine years ago to be closer to family. When prolonged neuropathy forced her to quit working, Sonshine Food Pantry was there to help feed her.
“There are people afraid to come [to the pantry] because they think they don’t need it,” said Janna. “Take a look at yourself and the people around you. Everybody needs something.”
Christian
Christian came to MOFC partner South Zanesville United Methodist Church Food Pantry to feed his two young kids when money got tighter than ever. So when his pantry almost shut down, he stepped forward.
He advocated to keep it open when the affiliated church closed. It’s the largest pantry around, and many people wouldn’t get assistance otherwise, Christian explained.
He started volunteering after seeing pantry volunteers, decades older than him, unloading heavy truckloads of food.
“Younger people should help more,” said Christian, who’s 31. “We live in a time where being selfish is more complacent than being selfless.”
Christian was a weekly pantry volunteer before he was unexpectedly cut off Medicaid. Working full-time to afford his medication has taken priority, but now he helps in a new way.
This summer, Christian and his 5-year-old son started growing produce outside next to the pantry. They donate everything they harvest.
“If you’ve never helped before, just ask someone,” said Christian. “You do it to help your community, to be proud of something outside of a family and career. That’s how we start mending society.”
Carl
Carl first visited the Mid-Ohio Kitchen at Reeb out of curiosity, but now he eats there nearly every day. Worrying less about food gives him time to job search, paint, and volunteer at the kitchen sometimes, too.
“I’m giving back to the community [when I volunteer],” said Carl. “I don’t want to just take, but I’m pressed for resources.”
He’s applied for around 300 jobs since losing his position at an aerospace parts company in 2024. Carl has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a certification in cybersecurity, but nothing has worked out. He hopes volunteering at the kitchen will lead to a restaurant gig. For now, he’s living off savings, using public transportation, and trying to sell his artwork.
Carl says it’s a circle: You need a car to get to work, but you need a job to afford a car. The Mid-Ohio Kitchen at Reeb, at least, is just down the road, and he’s grateful that he walked in.
“I was stuck in a rut before the Reeb Center,” said Carl. “I heard Picasso used social services too, and they say he painted his best artwork when he was fed.”
