For decades, Zion Lutheran Church in Youngstown has helped feed more than 50,000 people in our Valley.
 
But leaders say the need has grown so much, they now want to open a full Hunger Center, a place where anyone can get food, any day they need it. First, making plans for a new building to make that vision possible.
 
Zion Lutheran Church holds a big food distribution once a month, helping families get through a few days at a time.
 
But now - Pastor Duane Jesse and Distribution Coordinator Pam Raeburn want to offer more help, more often.
 
"We have been encouraged by Second Harvest and our congregation to open a hunger center where we will be available to the community more often," Pastor Duane Jesse said.
 
Rather than doing food distribution only on every third Saturday, they instead want to create a "Hunger Center" so people have access anytime they need it.
"We plan to have the hunger center open for walk-ups or drive-ups as needed," Jesse said, "and in those cases, we might be able to have the folks come in and do a little grocery shopping."
 
This comes as the need in the Valley is growing.
 
"Last month, we served 585 people," Raeburn said.
 
But the church said their current space can't support a true Hunger Center, so they're working to build a brand new one right on their own property in a wooded area.
 
"It's not going to be fancy, it's going to be a steel building, like a pole building kind of thing," Jesse said, "It will be efficient and utilized exclusively for a hunger center. We'll make it comfortable and dry for our folks that work in it and for the people that take advantage of it."
 
The church hopes to have the Hunger Center open by next holiday season, and is now raising money and looking for volunteers to help run the new Hunger Center.
 
Anyone can donate through the Second Harvest Food Bank and designate a donation for Zion Lutheran church in Youngstown.
 
People can also send a check in the mail to Zion Lutheran Church or head to zionohio.org