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Greater Washington County Food Bank has served the area for nearly 40 years

By Katherine Mansfield newsroom@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read
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Katherine Mansfield

The Food Helpers teach greater Washington County residents how to grow and prepare food at the food bank along National Pike West in Brownsville. There’s a garden and a hydroponics garden on site.

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Katherine Mansfield

George Omiros, a Uniontown native, stepped into the role of Food Helpers CEO in September of this year. Omiros said he loves going to work every day at a job that makes a difference in the community.

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Katherine Mansfield

The Country Thrift Store offers something for everyone on a budget, including health and beauty items, groceries and boutique clothing. Every dollar spent at the store is donated to the Greater Washington County Food Bank to help eliminate hunger in the community.

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Katherine Mansfield

GWCFB headquarters along National Pike West are powered by solar energy which, according to marketing director Justin McAtee, saves the Food Helpers $25,000 per year on utility bills. That $25,000 goes directly toward eliminating hunger in the greater Washington County area.

The Greater Washington County Food Bank, a division of Food Helpers, is serving the area hope for a world without hunger.

“Everything that we do is integrated into the mission of attempting to eliminate hunger in our part of the world,” said George Omiros, CEO of Food Helpers. “We may not be able to stop it everywhere on the globe, but at least in the counties that we serve, primarily Washington County but in our joining communities, the elimination of hunger.”

The Greater Washington County Food Bank has served the area for nearly 40 years. Under the umbrella of Food Helpers, which launched earlier this year, the food bank hosts monthly Truck to Trunk distributions throughout the area – a distribution model the food bank adopted pre-pandemic, and food banks nationwide shifted to when COVID-19 hit.

The food bank fills the gap for people who may not qualify for traditional government food assistance programs. According to Feeding America, nearly 50% of Washington County’s food insecure population does not qualify for existing programs.

“We don’t ask for income verification,” said Omiros. “Unfortunately, we have people throughout our county who fall through the cracks. They make a little bit over, or not a lot over, the minimum requirements for them to be eligible to receive food. Where do they go?”

They turn to the Food Helpers food bank.

In addition to monthly food distributions, the food bank hosts holiday meal distributions at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Christmas distribution is scheduled for Dec. 18; registration is required, and you can sign up for your holiday ham, sides and pie at https://www.foodhelpers.org/holidays.

Greater Washington County Food Bank runs the Senior Food Box Program for low-income older adults; offers cooking and nutrition classes at its healthy habits training center and aims to target the root cause of hunger.

This holiday season, the Greater Washington County Food Bank is in need of donations – of time, money, food or clothing. Volunteers are welcome to pack boxes or fill several committee openings.

“They can also spread the word that we’re here,” said Omiros. “We’re here. We’re a force. We’re going to be here to provide a great service to the community.”

To learn more about Greater Washington County Food Bank, to volunteer or donate, visit https://www.foodhelpers.org/foodbank.

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