Wooster Hope campaign aims to help the hungry
The Wooster Hope Center has bold goals for helping those in need in Wayne County in 2018, and a generous anonymous donor has pledged a matching donation of up to $100,000, according to Richard Frazier, the organization’s executive director.
“It is incredibly exciting and fortunate,” Frazier said. “This is a way for our donors to literally double their money.”
Frazier said the #FeedingHope18 drive includes tax-deductible donations made between this past November through January 2018. He said people are often not aware of the extent of need right here in Wayne County.
“It might not be as bad as Detroit, but there is poverty right here in Wayne County,” Frazier said.
Based on the numbers, Frazier is right.
The Wooster Hope Center, founded in 2011 as an outreach of the Daybreak Community Church, distributed 1.2 million pounds of food last year including 9 thousand food backpacks and helped a total of 18 thousand families. Perhaps most impressive is that this was accomplished with an all-volunteer workforce.
“We are the largest all-volunteer organization in Wayne County,” Frazier said.
As the largest food pantry in Wayne County, Wooster Hope Center serves every zip code in the region.
There is a staff, although it is totally comprised of unpaid volunteer workers. Twenty-eight individual volunteers give of their time to the extent of following a regular “work” schedule. Hundreds more work intermittently in any given month.
“People are truly amazing,” Frazier said. “What we can do just shows how much people really want to give.”
Frazier said several local companies and businesses have been huge supporters of Wooster Hope Center, and he would always welcome more.
“D&S Distribution picks up food for us at no charge,” Frazier said.
Certified Angus Beef is handling the marketing campaign for this current drive, and Smith Dairies and Buehler’s also provide support, according to Frazier.
With a successful donation drive, Frazier hopes to expand the center’s Spruce Street operations center. The center also is a drop-off site for the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank.
“We are constantly striving to eliminate waste of any kind,” Frazier said. “And with any changes we’ll study our acquisitions and distribution, the basic logistics.”
Frazier said his organization also is looking at expanding services.
“There’s a blueprint where we can cross over into other areas to provide services at a lower cost. The donors, the volunteers and the partners we work with all help keep our costs down,” Frazier said.
Frazier said there’s no shortage of things to do but that anything is possible given the volunteers’ dedication.
“The volunteers, community support, donors, they are all the Hope Center. I’m just lucky to have the privilege to be part of something so successful because of the support we receive,” Frazier said.
Frazier is not resting as long as there’s work to be done. “Our ultimate goal is to unite people and resources in a community-wide effort to make a difference and provide hope in all our lives,” he said.
Donations can be made via www.woosterhopecenter.org or by calling Frazier at 330-683-2242.