Reeling from the pandemic, hundreds line up in Amherst for food

AMHERST — Shiny vehicles, most just a few years old, not rust buckets or beaters. Nice cars. Family cars. They made up a sea of about 250 vehicles, lined row on row Thursday afternoon outside Amherst's new Powers Elementary School, ready to load up with emergency food supplies. "These are working families," said Sam Flores, program and member services manager for Second Harvest Food Bank. "They face enough challenges in a normal year. Now they're facing circumstances that are extra hard, that no one could have planned for or predicted." National Guardsmen labored alongside volunteers from the Amherst Schools, Educational Service Center of Lorain County and Second Harvest. Together, the masked workers loaded trunks with boxes of meat, cheese, milk, baby food and formula, apples, oranges and other produce. Sarah Walker, director of student services for the Amherst Schools, said she appreciated the members of the Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which has been providing assistance to Second Harvest during the COVID-19 pandemic. "They have this down to a very thorough science," she said. The Guard's future in Lorain County is uncertain. It's directive to provide emergency relief is set to expire Aug. 7. Capt. Stephanie Duarte said she is unsure what will happen, but there is reason to believe her unit could remain into September. In recent months, her unit has provided much-needed muscle at the Second Harvest warehouse, packing boxes, trucking food to distribution sites all over a four-county area and putting it in the hands of those who need it most. "Basically, every facet of their operation is what we've been integrated into and it's going significantly impact how much they would be able to do without our presence here," Duarte said. If the Combat Team pulls out, she said Second Harvest would have to dramatically cut down its operation, both in terms of reach and the volume of food it can provide. "There is no way we can sustain our capacity if the Guard pulls out," Flores agreed, echoing the unofficial indications the unit will remain. The need is not going away, she said — it's not even trending downward. Second Harvest saw a huge peak in demand in April, Flores said. It fell off as government pandemic benefits kicked in. The last three weeks are a different story. Before the pandemic, Second Harvest was helping 1,500 families a month. Now it's seeing that many in a week, she said. To put the volume in perspective, the nonprofit gave away about 750,000 pounds of food last April to June. That number climbed above 1.4 million pounds for the same period in 2020. Many of those in line Thursday were unfamiliar faces, lining up for the first time ever to get a little help, according to Flores. Jill Maiorca, a social worker contracted through the ESC to serve the Amherst Schools, said she saw the same trend. Many are coping with lost jobs, reduced hours, added expenses and medical bills, she said. "There are a lot of families struggling with everything because things today don't look like they did before," she said. "There's a lot of uncertainty, and that means a lot of stress." "This is a time when a lot of people are down and out, and they have a list of needs they aren't comfortable with. But they still want to provide for their families, so we're here for them." Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.