What now? From a county treasurer’s “Hunger Run” to co-ops and community gardens, from civic focus to shared goals—how ordinary neighbors can move a county toward no child hungry.

You’ll hear from:

• John Kennedy
• Sabrina Christian-Bennett
• Ben Wolford, Publisher of The Portager
• Ben and Patrick Childers, co-founder Odd Conduit Media

In this episode:

• Why focus matters: align orgs and volunteers on a single north star—no child hungry in Portage County—and measure every effort against it.
• What stuck from COVID (drive-through access) and what didn’t (emergency dollars)—and why stigma still shapes the user experience.
• A hard update: Rural Relief’s closure (funding + health) and what that signals about fragility at the last mile.
• Practical on-ramps: join a local board, keep 211 listings accurate, start/expand a garden plot, organize quarterly cross-org huddles.

Resources mentioned:

• Hunger Network
• Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank
• United Way Portage County
• 211 (call or 211.org) for local services
• Feeding America

Credits:

Reporting/hosting by Ben & Patrick Childers. Editing/mix/master by Patrick. Fact-check by Dash Lewis. Story edit by Jenna Marson. Artwork by Miggs Sonny. Original music by L.T. Headtrip.

Mentioned in this episode:

Neighbors In Need: Portage County Emergency Support Drive

Neighbors In Need