Now that it's been three weeks since the stimulus checks for unemployed workers ended, Valley food pantries and soup kitchens say food insecurity is going up.

But local churches and agencies have partnered with people, so neighbors don't go hungry.

New Life Church in Poland Township, which helps meet spiritual needs, has been helping provide food for people in need each month for around 18 years.

But the need has grown from an average of 450 to more than 800 people and families needing help during the pandemic.

The warehouse director, Anita Oles, with New Life Church, expects a reduction in stimulus dollars will mean more people seeking help.

Oles said, "We have a lot of senior citizens, a lot of elderly and now I'm seeing more young families coming in. A lot of people who are normally working people but they've lost their jobs and just aren't able to get through the month without our help."  

Oles added, "We get a majority of our product from Second Harvest Food Bank, and we also received grants from the Youngstown Foundation and The Community Foundation. Because of all three and donations from our church and help from our volunteers, we are able to provide boxes of meat, milk, eggs, apples. pepperoni rolls, and more. We just ask that everyone stay in your car."

Oles emphasized, "We have been doing this long before the pandemic, and we will do it until there is no longer a need. As long as there are hungry people, we will be here."

Behind Southwoods Surgical Hospital, volunteers, the United Way, and the Muransky family distance themselves to fill special needs by packing food up in an assembly-line fashion each month."

Bob Hannon, president of United Way of the Mahoning Valley, said, "When COVID-19 hit back in March, we partnered with the Muransky companies. We wanted to identify families that shouldn't be out shopping or couldn't be out shopping to get food. We began with 100 families each week in Mahoning and Trumbull counties; then, we decided we were going to do this monthly."

Hannon added, "We have an army of volunteers that are packing the food. We have around 30 drivers that will drive out to six to eight homes and take the food, and we map it out for them. Really what we have seen is this is an unmet need for those people who couldn't be out, a lot of seniors, a lot of young mothers with special needs children. Some of the bags are specially packed."

The acts of kindness are helping in more ways than one.

Hannon emphasized, " I think this has been helping emotionally too. We have one family from Canfield that has a mom, dad, and daughter that check on this senior every week, and they go visit her. I think the people who receive the help know someone cares about them, and now they have someone to talk to. I think this is an added bonus since people feel isolated."