Tom Gulutz (left), FISH of East Liverpool director, assists Charlene Unger and Tom McKinney in packing a box for a food pantry patron. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

EAST LIVERPOOL — There is no reason that any resident of the East Liverpool area should go hungry, and a local non-profit is working hard to make sure that no one does.

Earlier this month, Fellowship in Serving Humanity, or FISH of East Liverpool, announced that with the creation of a new food bank for the Salineville area, officials would be redirecting their attention to the Lisbon and Hammondsville area.

Late last year, the Southern Community Center food bank in Salineville re-emerged to provide food for struggling residents and family both in Salineville and the Southern Local School District. It will be temporarily housed in the former village hall, which has space not currently in use.

According to officials from FISH, they estimated that around 2,000 people were serviced monthly with their food pantry. They anticipated that the loss of Salineville residents will be easily made up by Lisbon and Hammondsville.

Every month FISH serves between 1,500 and 2,000 people.

There also are more than 15 efforts in the East Liverpool area that either offer food pantries or community meals each month. They include the food pantries at the Salvation Army during weekdays; Emmanuel Presbyterian Church on the third Saturday of the month (330-385-4456); Longs Run Presbyterian Church, third Thursday of the month (330-385-1127); First Church of the Nazarene, second Saturday of the month (330-385-1593); First Baptist Church in Wellsville, third Friday of each month (330-532-2654); New Life Ministry (330-532-5433) in Wellsville; Sacred Heart Church and Chester Church of the Nazarene in Chester, (304-387-3694). Meals are served at the Community Resource Center, noon Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays; St. John Lutheran Church, fourth Monday of the month; Second Baptist Church at 4 p.m. Tuesdays; St. Stephen’s Church, fourth Saturday of the month; and Salvation Army, noon Tuesdays for senior citizens. Most locations will ask for identification.

For more information on FISH, which is located at 213 W. Fourth St. in East Liverpool, call 330-385-4457. It is open from 10 a.m. to 12 noon Mondays through Fridays and has non-perishable foods as well as baked goods and meat. Patrons can visit once a month to get served.