On pace to serve a record number of families this year, the Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM) is gearing up for a busy holiday season.
On Nov. 21, WARM will hand out 50 pounds of groceries, including all of the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, to each of an anticipated 200 families, said WARM executive director Scott Marier. Those groceries should feed a family of four or five for a week, he said.
"It's just kind of a boost for families who have a need," Marier said.
The holiday service to 200 families is in addition to the 380 families WARM serves through its food pantry each week.
That increase in service will continue through December, with extra food being given out to WARM clients, he said.
"Every family we serve during the month of December will get a bonus bag of food," Marier said.
Families adopted through the ministry's Christmas program also will be given a bag of groceries full of holiday foods, Marier said.
To keep up with the increased holiday need, which coincides with a 40-percent increase in demand at WARM this year, the ministry is seeking donations of food and money to help serve people during the busy holiday season.
"We'll be able to put those gifts to good use," Marier said. "We're on a record-setting pace for the number of families we'll serve this year."
Last year, WARM served 3,129 families in the Westerville City School District, Marier said. This year, he said the ministry is on pace to serve more than 4,000 families, totaling 12,000 people.
"We're working as hard and as fast as we can to meet the need," he said. "We haven't had to turn anybody away, and we haven't had to decrease are amount of service."
Marier said WARM has been able to keep up with demand by operating more efficiently and with the help of donations from the community.
A list of the items most needed by the food pantry can be found on WARM's Web site at www.warmwesterville.org. Food can be dropped of 24 hours a day in the drop box behind WARM, 175A East Broadway.
Though people tend to think of assisting organizations like WARM more during the holidays, Marier said it's important to remember that the need doesn't end after the holidays.
"We're going to be serving as many families in January and February," he said. "Hunger doesn't take a holiday."
Those interested in donating to WARM can visit the ministry's Web site for more information or can call (614) 899-0196.