You don’t need to know English to realize your family is hungry.
It’s a phrase Gary Wyatt remembers on days like this. When he and dozens of volunteers unload and unwrap hundreds of boxes and the line starts to snake down the sidewalk in anticipation of Thursday’s food pantry at 1 p.m.
Politics don’t matter here. Not when you’re in need.
Dozens wait in the sun and shade outside North Hill Community House. It’s a plethora of ethnic groups, cultures and languages, and not just immigrant families.
Hunger doesn’t have a complexion.
Some people walk to the community house; others drive from across town. Wyatt doesn’t care. He and others just want to help.
They wait for frozen chicken patties and halal meat; cans of Vienna sausage and sweet corn; fresh pineapples, watermelons, honeydew melons, applesauce and onions; various types of cereal, mini muffins, cookies, wafers, flatbread, danishes, croissants and whole grain bread; coffee, hot chocolate, Similac Alimentum infant formula and fruit juice; mashed potatoes, protein bars, flour, spaghetti noodles, cheese and pinto beans; vitamins, soap, paper products and more.
It’s far from the “government cheese” Wyatt, 58, remembers eating as a kid growing up in Akron’s Summit Lake neighborhood. He promised himself, all those years ago, that if he ever ran a food pantry, he would have food that people were excited to eat.
Years later, he did.
In Summit County, approximately 1 in 10 people face food insecurity, according to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ 2023 Statewide Study of Hunger in Ohio.
Wyatt is doing something about it. One bite at a time.
The jewel of Akron is its people. They’re vibrant and resilient. Flawed, yet thoughtful and nurturing. And all of them come with compelling stories. That’s why we launched “Akron in 330.” This series offers a glimpse into everyday folks’ journeys across our many neighborhoods — 330 words at a time. Know someone we should consider? Tell us here.
The community house is one of 272 food pantries in Summit County that partner with the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank. Last year, the facility received more than 112,000 pounds of free or greatly-reduced items from the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank and distributed it to families.
This food pantry serves the community every third Thursday of the month. No questions asked. Emergency services are also available.
