Weekender Food Bags In 2014, leaders at the Islamic Food Bank began looking outward beyond the Muslim community to see what more they could do to support people in need in northwest Ohio. As a result of discussions and networking with community partners such as school districts and after-school programs, one significant gap in food access was identified. Many area schoolchildren receive free or subsidized breakfast and/or lunch during the school day but come home to empty pantries. The Weekender Food Bag program was created to specifically address this gap. Nutritious and shelf-stable meals, snacks, and breakfast items are packed into our green tote bags and distributed regularly to area schools and after-school programs. School counselors, teachers, and other administrators send the bags home with economically disadvantaged students to ensure that they have uninterrupted access to nutritious food on weekends, holidays, and vacations. Students who are food insecure often miss school, repeat grades, and become less competitive with lower levels of educational and technical skills. Child hunger has economic consequences that reverberate throughout communities, such as a huge loss in lifetime earnings. Child food insecurity is also associated with many health issues including anemia, cognitive problems, anxiety, and depression. With consistent access to nutritious, delicious food, students can learn, grow, and excel. The Weekender Food Bag program is our largest program due to the immense increased need after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, the Islamic Food Bank provided around 3,000 Weekender Food Bags per year. As of 2023, 2,500+ bags are provided each month to schools and other community partners. Hear from Our Partners Brooke Schlageter at Partners in Education of Toledo wrote to us to let us know that their first experience with the Weekender Food Bags was successful. She said, “We handed out almost all of the 90 bags – we have only ONE left over! The parents I spoke with were very appreciative, and one of the kids said, ‘There’s actually really good stuff in here!’” Heavy Snacks Program The Islamic Food Bank also supports after-school programs throughout northwest Ohio. We provide heavy snacks to students who receive help with homework and other enrichment opportunities after school four days a week (Monday to Thursday). Examples of heavy snacks include sandwiches, fruit cups, string cheese, juice, and cookies. Our partners for this program include area school districts, TutorSmart, Partners in Education, and After-School All-Stars Ohio. Mobile Food Bank In 2017, IFB leaders learned that Helping Hands of St. Louis, under the umbrella of Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo, provides warm meal service on Mondays through Fridays at its location on 6th Street in downtown Toledo. The Labre Program, run by St. John’s Jesuit High School and St. Ursula Academy, additionally provides warm meals and a free health clinic every Monday in the parking lot outside of Helping Hands. However, warm meal service was not available on the weekends. This posed a significant gap in food access for those struggling to make ends meet in East Toledo. To fill this gap, the Islamic Food Bank introduced Mobile Food Bank visits. Our program now runs on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Warm meals are prepared, packed, and distributed at neighborhood sites across Perrysburg and Toledo. The meals are also provided to shelter homes serving the homeless, domestic violence victims, and other vulnerable populations in the city. Each meal includes a warm entree such as a chicken wrap or spaghetti with meat sauce, side items, fruit, dessert, and bottled water. Panera Day-End Dough-Nation Program Since 2018, the Islamic Food Bank has been a proud participant in the Panera Day-End Dough-Nation Program. Through this program, we are a part of redirecting quality food away from the landfill and toward people who are in need. Twice a week, our volunteers pick up unsold bread and bakery items at closing time from the Panera on Fremont Pike in Perrysburg, Ohio. Volunteers drop off the “doughnations” early the next morning at our community partners. All Panera donations are used to feed people in need locally. IFB Pantry Programs The Islamic Food Bank provides nutritious food items to several area pantries across northwest Ohio. These pantries are wholly or in part stocked by the Food Bank and serve diverse communities with distinct needs. The IFB Pantry Programs began with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-March 2020, IFB leaders met with administrators and staff from the Perrysburg Heights Community Association (PHCA) and Perrysburg Schools. Because of our ongoing work in the community, we knew that the pending statewide shutdown order would have devastating consequences for children, families, and others in vulnerable circumstances. Before the shutdown order took effect, IFB, PHCA, and Perrysburg Schools quickly mobilized to set up a pantry. To this day, the IFB Pantry at PHCA remains open every week for anyone in need. Just a few months later, Sunshine Communities reached out due to a pressing need. They requested assistance keeping their on-site pantry stocked. This pantry serves program participants and their families, volunteers, and staff. As with PHCA, we are proud to continue to serve Sunshine. The IFB Pantry Programs have grown as we have identified more specific populations with limited access to nutritious and culturally appropriate food. Notably, our partnerships now include Bowling Green State University Falcon Food Pantry and the University of Toledo Rocket Fuel to assist food-insecure students and others who are part of the campus community. Food provided to area pantries includes nutritious items not readily available to pantry guests elsewhere. Examples include rice, lentils, fresh produce, dairy products, and a variety of sources of protein like meat and seafood. Video testimonial from Paul Belazis Watch The Video Tu navegador no admite el elemento de video. Current Pantries: Islamic Food Bank Pantry at Perrysburg Heights Community Association (IFB Pantry at PHCA) *100% stocked by IFB Islamic Food Bank Pantry at Weiler Homes (IFB Pantry at Weiler Homes) *100% stocked by IFB Sunshine Food Pantry Bowling Green University Falcon Food Pantry University of Toledo (UT) Rocket Fuel Ashland Baptist Pantry Neighbors of Hope Nuestra Gente Food Pantry Helping Hands of St. Louis Pantry Food Bags for the Homeless Twice a year, the Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board (TLCHB) conducts the Everybody Counts Campaign’s Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. This count provides a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness in the Toledo/Lucas County area. The PIT Count includes people sheltering in emergency or transitional housing and unsheltered individuals, staying indoors or in places not designed for habitation such as cars, streets, parks, under bridges, and abandoned buildings. PIT Count data are used by the federal and state governments to assess needs and allocate funding. TLCHB conducts the counts twice a year. In late 2022, TLCHB reached out to the Islamic Food Bank for a potential collaboration. Our team carefully curated a list of ready-to-eat, shelf-stable, nutritious items with unhoused individuals in mind. Bags were distributed as part of both the January and July PIT Counts in 2023. Check out the full list of the community partners we currently serve Interested in volunteering with the Islamic Food Bank? See how you can get involved! Donate to support our work year-round!