The MLK Food Canvas has been changed this year due to the coronavirus.
The need is too great to cancel the event, which will go on in a different form, said Amy Jeffers,
assistant director of Brown Bag Food Project, which benefits from the annual food drive in honor of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Instead of knocking on doors for donations, volunteers will be collecting food and hygiene items in a
drive-thru format.
The Brown Bag Food Project is holding a two-day food donation drop-off on Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
and Sunday from noon-2 p.m.
Jeffers asked for the community’s support as Brown Bag Food Project has seen its clients double over the
last few months.
”It’s been a tough year,” Jeffers said.
The pantry usually helps around 350 people a month.
The number has gone as high as 650 per month recently, she said.
The Brown Bag Food Project has overseen the MLK Food Canvas for the past few years. In previous years,
they were able to recruit Bowling Green State University students and community members to canvas the
town and knock on doors for food donations.
“The tricky part is we’re not able to do the usual, going out and knocking on doors,” Jeffers said. “This
has always been a great coming-together event. With COVID-19 restrictions and concerns, we must change
our approach this year.”
At the pantry this weekend, there will be a table set up, to allow contact-less drop off, she said.
In addition to food items, consider donating toothpaste, toilet paper, diapers and pet food, Jeffers
said.
“A lot of people tend to not think about donating hygiene products or pet food,” she said. “Diapers,
pull-ups, everything.”
Community members are asked to drop off non-perishable, in-date canned or boxed food, along with hygiene
items. Brown Bag Food Project is located at 530 Sand Ridge Road.
The Brown Bag Food Project started in 2013 out of Executive Director Amy Holland’s garage. It officially
became a non-profit organization in 2015.
The pantry is known for providing immediate assistance to anyone, whether or not the person formally
qualifies for assistance, Jeffers said
For more information, visit https://www.brownbagfoodproject.org/ or call 419-960-5345.
The pantry’s regular hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5-6:30 p.m.
