From left, Scott Hart heads a group that revitalized the Southern Community Center of Salineville food pantry. Founded decades earlier, volunteers pose with Hart, who is the board president, in this 2020 photo; Bob Bitterer, Terry Vest, Rachel Farnsworth, Deanne Benedict, Jim Householder and Gertrude Benedict. (File photo)

SALINEVILLE — The Southern Community Center of Salineville finds itself in the bit of a conundrum.

For decades, the non-profit has overseen a food pantry for residents of Salineville, Southern Local school district, the Utica Shale and Indian Academy (online). However, recently its primary vehicle used to transport between 3,000 and 7,000 lbs. of food weekly from Second Harvest Food Bank in Youngstown back to Salineville has gone down.

According to Scott Hart, who serves as SCCS board president, the organization is currently trying to raise funds, allowing them to purchase a 16-foot used box truck.

In addition to pursuing possible grant opportunities, which are few and far between per Hart, the organization has established a GoFundMe in an effort to raise $4,000 for the truck’s down payment.

Currently the organization doesn’t have a particular truck in mind; however, the group’s volunteers are completely aware of how important their efforts have become for their community.

Back in 2019, Salineville council had voted to allow the food pantry to relocate to its former village hall, which also houses the village’s volunteer fire and maintenance departments.

Before COVID, the food pantry had utilized the indoor space for its operation of a “choice” pantry, where people could shop instead of waiting outside which became common place after the pandemic.

Since then, the pantry’s clientele has grown from helping 85 to 361 households throughout Columbiana, Carroll, Jefferson and Harrison counties, providing enough food for at least three meals per week.

In addition to the cities of Salineville, Wellsville and Mechanicstown, clients from as far as Hanoverton and Steubenville also have benefited from the pantry’s efforts.

To utilize the pantry, one either needs to be a resident of Salineville or have a child attending one of the village area’s schools including Southern Local, Utica Shale Academy or the online Indian Academy, Hart explained.

The pantry services more than 1080 people annually. Hart estimates that the pantry served 41,121 meals last year, according to statistics provided by Second Harvest.

Regular distributions are held held on the fourth Saturday of the month at its location on Washington Street in Salineville, where volunteers load the items into vehicles.

Special distributions also are scheduled for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

The first 200 clients for each of those holiday distributions receive a basket containing the complete fixings (i.e. turkey for Thanksgiving or a ham for Easter) for a holiday meal. The special distributions alone, he explained, set the pantry back between $4,000 to $6,000 each time they do one, he added.

Much of the pantry’s efforts are subsidized by local residents, churches, social organizations and businesses’ generosity. Hart estimated the pantry receives around $12,000 annually in donations mostly through fundraising letters thus outlaying for a 16-foot box truck is a huge but necessary commitment.

High protein food options always are a priority during their weekly buys, Hart notes. Eggs are always a favorite for pantry clients; however, they are hard to find at Second Harvest, so Hart explained that they are able to find local egg purveyors who donate them to the pantry.

While most of local buyers were paying more than $5 per dozen at grocery stores, several locals donated in excess of 600 dozen eggs last year to the pantry when egg layers were at the height of their production.

Donations can be made to the SCCS food pantry to 34A Washington St.; Salineville, OH 43945 or for the box truck through their GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-community-center-of-salineville

For more information about the Southern Community Center of Salineville’s efforts, interested parties can check out their Facebook page.