Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio and BGSU Firelands are teaming up again to provide 450 Thanksgiving meals to Erie County residents on Tuesday, November 10, according to Second Harvest and a report by 95.3 WLKR. The drive-thru distribution runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at BGSU Firelands, 1 University Drive in Huron, and it is the first of four special Thanksgiving mobile pantries Second Harvest will hold across its service area this month.
Households that take part will receive holiday boxes of shelf-stable food along with a turkey weighing 10 to 18 pounds, apples, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pies, stuffing, instant potatoes, corn bread mix and soup, according to Second Harvest’s Thanksgiving pantry page. The meals are for income-eligible households in the food bank’s service area.
Registration is required, and pre-registration for the Huron distribution opened November 1, according to Second Harvest. Registrants receive a code they must save and present for their vehicle on distribution day. The limit is one registration per household and two registrations per vehicle.
Pickup is drive-thru only, and food is loaded only into the trunk, so Second Harvest asks drivers to arrive with a clean, clear trunk. A driver may also pick up for another household by presenting that household’s code along with a completed Second Harvest proxy form. No photo ID is required, and while no proof of income is shown at pickup, households must fall at or below the income levels on Second Harvest’s eligibility chart, according to the food bank.
The Huron stop opens a four-county series. The pantry moves to Willard Parks and Recreation in Willard on November 17 from 3 to 4:30 p.m., then to Lorain County Community College in Elyria on November 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and finishes at Galion Schools in Galion on November 23 from 4 to 5:30 p.m., according to Second Harvest. WLKR reported that Second Harvest hopes to distribute 3,500 Thanksgiving food packages across the four counties.
Second Harvest serves Crawford, Erie, Huron and Lorain counties through more than 130 partner charities, and its site notes that every dollar donated provides six meals. BGSU Firelands, Bowling Green State University’s regional campus in Huron, has partnered with the food bank on drive-thru distributions in prior years as well.
Erie County residents who need a Thanksgiving meal should pre-register now through the Erie County link on Second Harvest’s Thanksgiving pantry page and save their registration code before November 10. After Huron, the series continues in Willard on November 17, Elyria on November 21 and Galion on November 23.