Hunger Across the Network in Portage County cover art

Hunger Across the Network in Portage County

Hunger Across the Network in Portage County

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

Inside the organizations that stitch the safety net together—United Way Portage County and the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank—where logistics, dignity, and scarcity collide.

You’ll hear from:
  • Bill Childers, President & CEO, United Way Portage County
  • Heather Rainone, United Way Portage County
  • Raven Gayhart, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank
  • Brooke Durow, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

In this episode:
  • What “Change Hunger” is and how emergency food dollars flow across a county.
  • 211 by the numbers: (calls, searches, 700+ local programs) and why discoverability still fails many families.
  • Foodbank 101: the hub-and-spoke model; client choice vs. drive-through boxes; why kids and seniors dominate the lines.
  • Post-COVID realities: supply shortfalls, purchased food up 40%, pantry visits up double digits.
  • The dignity piece: letting neighbors “shop the shelves” vs. the anonymity and convenience of drive-through.

Resources mentioned:
  • Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank
  • United Way Portage County
  • 211 (call or 211.org) for local services

Credits:

Reporting/hosting by Ben & Patrick Childers. Editing/mix/master by Patrick. Fact-check by Dash Lewis. Story edit by Jenna Marson. Artwork by Migs Sunny. Original music by L.T. Headtrip.

Mentioned in this episode:

Neighbors In Need: Portage County Emergency Support Drive

Neighbors In Need
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.