Judge Rusu Recognizes Efforts of Second Harvest Food Bank

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley recently was recognized with a special proclamation from Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert Rusu during its first produce distribution at the Carl Nunziato VA Clinic. 

“What’s one thing that’s common with everybody? We all have to eat,” Rusu said. “And when people don’t have that food service, the food security, it becomes very problematic in a lot of other areas of their life. We appreciate what Second Harvest continues to do on a daily basis.”

Second Harvest has distributed more than 50,000 pounds of food to veterans in the Youngstown community. More than 200 veterans were served at the produce distribution, marking the one-year anniversary of the food pantry at the clinic, and the food bank plans to hold produce distributions once a month in the future.

“This is the first food pantry in the country where a Feeding America food bank and a veterans clinic have an in-house food pantry,” said Mike Iberis, executive director of Second Harvest. “They’re seeing about 180 people a month that they’re helping with that food, so that’s very significant.”

The clinic, which recently marked one year of being open, is named after Carl Nunziato, a local U.S. Army veteran. Nunziato serves on Second Harvest’s board as its secretary. 

“Many of our vets are on a fixed income. There’s never enough to cover the cost of living,” Nunziato said. “To have the ability to come here with Second Harvest to provide food is very important.”

Pictured at top: Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert Rusu, left, and Mike Iberis, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.