Hunger and the Work Ahead in Portage County cover art

Hunger and the Work Ahead in Portage County

Hunger and the Work Ahead in Portage County

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What now? From a county treasurer’s “Hunger Run” to co-ops and community gardens, from civic focus to shared goals—how ordinary neighbors can move a county toward no child hungry.

You’ll hear from:
  • John Kennedy
  • Sabrina Christian-Bennett
  • Ben Wolford, Publisher of The Portager
  • Ben and Patrick Childers, co-founder Odd Conduit Media

In this episode:
  • Why focus matters: align orgs and volunteers on a single north star—no child hungry in Portage County—and measure every effort against it.
  • What stuck from COVID (drive-through access) and what didn’t (emergency dollars)—and why stigma still shapes the user experience.
  • A hard update: Rural Relief’s closure (funding + health) and what that signals about fragility at the last mile.
  • Practical on-ramps: join a local board, keep 211 listings accurate, start/expand a garden plot, organize quarterly cross-org huddles.

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

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
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