Growing Green at the B-C-S Food Pantry

Growing Green at the BCS Food Pantry

The Benton-Carroll-Salem (BCS) Food Pantry, located at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Oak Harbor, Ohio, has provided service to Ottawa County residents for the past 20 years. Throughout these years, the pantry has received homegrown produce from its various community gardens, all of which are given directly to the food pantry. Due to the changing of our seasons in northern Ohio, it is difficult for the food pantry to grow produce year round. We are collecting donations in hopes of providing the BCS Food Pantry a greenhouse. Through obtaining a durable greenhouse, the BCS Food Pantry will continue to grow fresh produce throughout the year for its beloved community.

Within this last year, the BCS Food Pantry has served over 2,950 people in the local community. The produce provided to the BCS Food Pantry stems from the combined garden spaces of St. Paul United Church of Christ, Trinity United Church of Christ in Elliston, along with St. John’s Lutheran and R.C. Waters Elementary School both in Oak Harbor. With the current pandemic, more people are struggling to make ends meet;  the BCS Food Pantry is relied on more than ever by its residents. With your generosity, the pantry can invest in a greenhouse that will allow them to fight back against the toll the pandemic has put on the community. 

Scott Cunningham, associate pastor at St. Paul, and the supervisor of the BCS Food Pantry shared, “Currently we are at 1,100 lbs of produce- we just planted beets and beans for the fall, spinach and lettuce is planned for the winter using plastic coverings.” The food pantry is nearly zero waste. Anything that is not used by residents is shared with other food banks, recycled, composted, or given to farm animals. 

The Food Pantry will be able to grow produce year round through the investment of the greenhouse. The greenhouse would effectively provide a large increase in the amount of fresh produce provided to the pantry. This increase will allow the pantry to provide a greater amount of service, and change the lives of more people within its community. 

We are grateful for your time and consideration. If you are unable to donate, please share the link to this page to help us achieve our goal. Stay tuned for updates! Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts. 

Feel free to learn more about the BCS Food Pantry through the links below!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Not-a-Business/BCS-Food-Pantry-106641727717729/

https://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/story/news/local/2015/05/05/oak-harbor-home-five-food-pantries-aid-community/26951007/

https://www.13abc.com/content/news/New-projects-will-help-Ottawa-County-food-pantry-feed-more-people-570248841.html