November 30, 2015
Media Contact: Natalie Schrimpf 216.696.6525 x. 2520
or nschrimpf@svdpcle.org
(Cleveland, OH) The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Diocese of Cleveland will distribute 1,000 frozen turkeys and five-pound bags of potatoes on Wednesday, December 16 at 8:00 a.m. while supplies last to needy residents in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, thanks to the generosity of Fortney & Weygandt, Inc. This is the ninth year that the local commercial construction firm has supplied turkeys and potatoes – which were donated by the Fortney Family Foundation — to the SVDP Woodland Food Pantry. The pantry is one of the largest in Northeast Ohio and serves some 1,700 impoverished individuals monthly and more than 20,000 annually. The turkeys and potatoes will be distributed by Fortney & Weygandt employees and Woodland pantry volunteers at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland parking lot located at 2561 East 59th Street, adjacent to the Carl B. Stokes Building (6001 Woodland Avenue), which houses the SVDP Woodland Food Pantry. Although there is no advance registration, recipients will be required to show proper identification.
The Central neighborhood is home to some 10,717 residents living in poverty, according to Greater Cleveland Food Bank statistics. Formerly Brother Hubbard’s Cupboard, the Woodland pantry was previously managed by the Capuchin Franciscan Brothers from 2004-13, and provides approximately 543,000 pounds of food annually to residents. Fortney & Weygandt has been donating holiday turkeys and sacks of potatoes to the pantry since 2006.
“St. Vincent de Paul Society is extremely grateful for the continuous generosity of Fortney & Weygandt and its commitment to helping the many individuals and families in the Central neighborhood during the holidays,” said John Litten, SVDP executive director.
In addition to the Woodland Avenue location, SVDP Cleveland operates five other food pantries in Northeast Ohio: John Paul II Pantry, 8328 Broadway Avenue in Cleveland; Southwest
Pantry, 2145 Broadview Road in Cleveland; Father Michael Wittman Pantry, 13824 Euclid Avenue, East Cleveland; St. Agnes Pantry, 611 Lake Avenue, Elyria; and Fr. Hilkert Pantry, 93 Kent Street in Akron.
Established in 1865, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Diocese of Cleveland is a local human service and welfare organization of neighborhood volunteer groups residing in participating parishes (“Conferences”) throughout the Diocese of Cleveland’s eight-county service area. Volunteers (“Vincentians”) provide temporary emergency direct assistance to those in need, regardless of their race, ethnicity or religious affiliation. Last year alone, some 260,000 low-income individuals received nearly $5 million in aid, which included food donations from SVDP’s multiple food pantries, clothing, furniture, back-to-school supplies and assistance with utilities. SVDP’s central office is located at 1404 East Ninth Street, Cleveland. For more information, call 216.696.6525 ext. 3150 or svdpcle.org.
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