FINDLAY, Ohio — The pandemic has taken a toll on so many of us, be it physically, mentally or financially - and local charities are no different.
Now, the United Way of Hancock County is coming together to help families in need.
The United Way of Hancock County has seen a rise in requests in food services for those in need.
In a usual year, entering the holiday season is a time of abundance for most food pantries. But with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many local fundraiser and food drives had to be rescheduled or cancelled this year.
"All of our pantries across the county are short. They are short in different items, things that they're usually not short in. So, we decided with the holidays coming up and with the pandemic, we can use our reach to hopefully fill those gaps," said Taylor Coote, Community Impact director for the United Way of Hanock County.
So the United Way launched their "United We Can" food drive earlier this week to collect canned goods for multiple food pantries in Hancock County.
Canned goods can be dropped off at either of Findlay's First National Bank locations or at the United Way offices for the next two weeks.
Joy Barger with the City Mission of Findlay says they are estimating a shortage of 50 thousand pounds below last year's donated food totals.
But she is confident this current food drive will be able to stabilize their stores, as she has seen an uptick in generosity from the community throughout this pandemic.
"What they're seeing is, if I'm struggling, how much more in a lesser condition than I am? So, people have been incredibly generous and supportive, and we're just incredibly grateful for the community that we are in," said Barger.
The United We Can Food Drive runs through Friday, Dec. 4.