UCT employees raise meals for hungry Ohioans!

I keep telling you UCT employees are some of the most generous people I know, and it’s true. Though small in numbers (around 60 employees) we have BIG hearts! We support a number of causes and charities that have a positive impact on our community and surrounding areas, but none is more near or dear to us than raising meals and collecting food for our Operation Feed campaign for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. We just wrapped up this year’s campaign, and it was another major success, with employees raising close to 25,000 meals for hungry Central Ohioans – double what we raised last year. Great job UCT – and a special shout out to campaign coordinators Jessica Spring and Nicole Watson!

Our campaigns are always fun, and this year was no exception. Throughout June and July UCT employees participated enthusiastically in a number of fundraising events for the campaign, including lunches, bake sales, Donut Day, raffles, auctions, and our annual food truck rally – and the children and grandchildren of employees spent a day assembling food kits for families in need. All this while donating needed food items for the food bank.

Our community needs our help in fighting hunger, which is why the UCT home office has made Operation Feed one of our major causes. One in six Ohioans is food insecure – they don’t know where a next meal is coming from. Many struggling families have to choose between paying for housing, utilities or medical expenses and putting food on the table. Operation Feed is a food drive campaign held throughout communities in central and eastern Ohio to help the Mid-Ohio Foodbank serve over 525,300 children, adults and seniors. The foodbank delivers food to more than 650 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school programs, and senior housing sites. More than 50 million pounds of food was distributed in 2015.

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s stats show some of the reasons why UCT is so committed to this cause:

– 35% of food requests from pantries are for children; 17% are for senior citizens

– About half of client households have at least one working adult.

– Only 5% of clients are homeless; 1 in 5 is a homeowner.

According to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, thousands of people go hungry in our community every day. The foodbank has been working with grocers, food companies, Ohio farmers, the USDA, and community partners to obtain food and distribute it since 1980. Its mission is to end hunger one meal at a time and co-create a community where everyone thrives. UCT is proud to be a continuing part of that mission.

Sadly, food insecurity affects many communities throughout North America. If you’d like to get involved in helping to end hunger in your community, consider teaming up with your local food bank to raise meals and collect food. It will make a bigger difference than you might ever have imagined.