MANSFIELD — Several organizations have pitched in recently to help local nonprofit Harmony House stock up on food to feed their homeless clients.
On Friday, ReMax Realty donated 1,358 non-perishable food items to the homeless shelter. The real estate agency started collecting cans from its employees and clients on Nov. 1.
“The first week of the food drive was a little slow but then halfway into the second week our office started filling up with food,” said Lindsay Zimmer, ReMax spokesperson. “We believe in what they do and support their mission.”
The homeless shelter depends largely on donations and food drives, said director Vicki Kane. The shelter served around 45,000 meals last year, which represents a total of 583 homeless clients — a slight increase from 2014.
She said numbers for the shelter are around the same for 2016.
“We have a budget of $400,000,” she said.
About half of the budget relies on local food drives and donations. Donations start streaming in to the nonprofit around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“The giving spirit helps carry us throughout the year. Right now the shelves are full and it’s wonderful,” Kane said. “We don’t get donations like this all year round, but people still need to eat all year round. I really appreciate what they (several organizations) did.
“It’s really nice of them to put forth the effort and have outstanding results.”
There have been other food drives to help out, she said. Sherman Elementary School ran a food drive earlier in the month and Graham Automall’s Make a Difference Day generated a significant contribution, too.
Harmony House was started in 1990 to provide shelter and food for homeless people in Richland County. The organization has grown throughout the years to be able to serve 25 a day to a current 60 people on average.
For more information on how to give, visit the website.
