The Wyoming Community Food Drive will return this weekend for its second year, and the organizer behind the event, Adam Bianco, is looking to top 2021’s collection, which yielded enough food to provide nearly 7,000 meals for local families.
The food drive, which calls for donations of unopened, non-perishable food items, is scheduled for Saturday, April 9. Bianco, who moved to Wyoming in 2020, organized the inaugural event last year as an off-shoot to his job with Move For Hunger, a national hunger relief nonprofit.
Food insecurity affects every community, he says. About 1 in 8 people in Hamilton County are going hungry, and more than 300,000 in Greater Cincinnati are experiencing food insecurity. That includes about 1 in 5 kids.
Bianco says he was blown away by last year’s response. In 2021, the Wyoming Community Food Drive collected about 8,000 pounds of food, which translates to roughly 7,000 meals—far surpassing his initial target of around 2,000 pounds.
The goal for 2022 is to collect 10,000 pounds of food, or the equivalent of more than 8,000 meals.
“Last year I was completely amazed by the turnout and how generous the community was,” he says. “It truly showed the character of the community and how willing everyone is to lend a helping hand to those in need.”
Donations can include canned vegetables or fruit, canned soups/stews/chili, pasta, PB&J, cereal, canned tuna or chicken, chicken broth, boxed mac and cheese, and any other unopened, non-perishable food.
Food will be donated to Valley Interfaith Community Resource Center in neighboring Lockland.
Almost all single-family homes in Wyoming will receive a food collection bag leading up to the event. To participate, either (1) put your food in the bag and set it outside by 9 a.m. April 9 to be picked up or (2) bring your food down to the Village Green between 1-4 p.m. the day of the event.
More information is available on the group’s event page on Facebook.
