Starting the Toledo Neighbor’s Program has included a series of difficult tasks, from removing dead birds from the old Toledo School District building leased to them as Neighbors Hall, to hanging a banner a couple sizes too large away from easily manageable, to figuring out how best to distribute 1,200 pounds of donated ground turkey.
While not necessarily easy, the support of the Toledo community and hard work from volunteers made those tasks manageable enough to allow the program to thrive in its first year.
As of May 2023, the Toledo Neighbors Program estimated it regularly served 100 families per week, an estimated 300 to 400 people.
To celebrate the success of its first year, the nonprofit hosted a community appreciation event, catered by the Toledo-based Bonanza BBQ, at the Toledo Senior Center on Saturday.
“If you’re here, it’s because you have been a part of what we have accomplished in the last year, which was incredible,” Toledo Neighbors President Amanda Buck said Saturday. “There’s not enough words to say thank you, but brisket is helpful, right?”
Buck and a few other Toledo community members formally founded Toledo Neighbors in March 2022 with the intent of building the nonprofit into a hub where people can share food and other resources without restrictions, helping each other with the dignity and respect neighbors show neighbors.
The nonprofit hosted its first food distribution event in May 2022 and has been growing since, expanding the regularity of food distributions and deliveries while completing business-oriented tasks such as setting up a website, expanding its board, acquiring a van for deliveries and forming partnerships with community organizations.
In addition to celebrating Toledo Neighbors’ successful first year, the board took Saturday’s event as an opportunity to share some of its goals for the next year, including significant building and site improvements to Neighbors Hall, opening a co-op food pantry, forming more community partnerships and increasing community engagement.
“We can’t do the things we do without you guys at home supporting us,” Buck said Saturday.
For more information on the Toledo Neighbors Program, including how to donate, volunteer or receive help, visit https://www.toledoneighbors.org/.
