“We always seem to be able to fill needs,” says Carol Hoeflich volunteer and trustee at the Bellville Neighborhood Outreach Center (BNOC). The center has served the residents of the Bellville-Butler area for the past three years, and is home to the Clothesline, a service that offers gently used clothing. Revenue from the Clothesline is used to purchase food for the food pantry, also located in the building.
The food pantry is primarily funded by grants and private donations, and also receives food from the Cleveland Food Bank. The food bank recognized the BNOC as “Food Pantry of the Year” in 2010.
In May, the BNOC served 176 families through the food pantry.
“Demand for the food pantry has increased and donations are up too so we are able to keep up,” said Hoeflich. “The only obstacle we face is having enough volunteers to cover everything we do or would like to do.”
The Activity Center is located on the second floor of the BNOC and hosts meetings and activities. For example, two card groups meet regularly one on Tuesday afternoons from 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday night a second group meets typically around 6 p.m., and has been known to run on into the evening as late as 10 p.m. A cancer support group meets the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.
The BNOC’s mission is to support and enrich the lives of Clear Fork valley residents by developing and operating a community service center. They offer a wide range of programs and activities, for example, their Backpack Program serves elementary school students. Backpacks provided by the Cleveland Food Bank are passed out to disadvantaged children on Fridays starting in October. The backpacks are filled with food to last the children through the weekend. This year, the BNOC provided backpacks for 75 families.
The Produce Give-away, another successful program, is open to residents across Richland County. The annual program began in April and runs through October 28. The give-away is located in the St. Paul Lutheran Church parking lot and takes place the last Monday of every month. The produce comes from the Cleveland Food Bank.
The BNOC is located at 84 Main Street Bellville with a secondary location at 20 Henry Street, Butler. For more information about the services available and hours of operation go to bnoc.org/news or call 419-886-8395.