Bagging nonperishable food for this week’s food pickup are Operation Blessing volunteers Pat Divito of Boardman and Linda Smith of Canfield. The food will be handed out Thursday to the 107 families who are registered for assistance.

CANFIELD — Operation Blessing, a non-government funded food pantry, has since 1986 been assisting families in need.

The organization has a large number of volunteers from around Mahoning County who want to give back and make sure no family goes hungry and no child goes through Christmas without a gift.

“Our volunteers come from all the churches” [in the Canfield area, said Don Christensen, a former minister who now serves as Operation Blessing treasurer. “We have set aside our differences and come together to help those in need.”

Christensen said he got involved after he retired as pastor of the Canfield United Methodist Church. Many members of his congregation had already been involved with Operation Blessing, which is set up in the basement of the Presbyterian Church on West Main Street.

As treasurer, Christensen helped put together a special 2022 calendar to help raise funds to purchase foods that are not donated. The calendar sales brought in $1,200 that will go a long way.

Christensen said 96 cents of every dollar go directly toward the purchase of food for the needy families. The remaining 4 percent is used for postage, office supplies, a post office box, and miscellaneous expenses related to the ministry.

Operation Blessing director Julie Kercher said she is grateful for the large number of volunteers and how so many different religions are pulling together for one cause. She said it takes a lot of help to put the bags of food together, and even more help since the pandemic hit. The families are served in a drive up line that allows them to stay in their vehicles.

“Last year we served 109 families,” Kercher said. “This year we are bagging for 107 families, with children.”

For the December food handout, one volunteer handles a different area at the church. Lynette Fumi is the head “toy elf” as she calls herself. She is in charge of collecting toy donations and setting up the toy shop at the church.

This year, she will be setting up the “toy shop” to help parents get gifts for more than 200 children. They range in age from under a year old to teenagers.

When she put the word out about the number of children, the toys started flowing. She had boxes set up at area stores and people were very generous.

“My goal is to have three gifts per child and we have done well,” Fumi said. “One thing I am proud of is the fact we had so many donate that each child will also receive a hat and gloves, and a warm new blanket.

“It takes a village to do something like this and we have an amazing village,” Fumi said.

Next week, the families will pick up their December food and then one parent will be able to go into the upstairs center and pick out toys for their children.

To make the job easier, the toys are arranged by age and gender two days before the distribution date, which is always the third Thursday of the month. When the parent arrives at the door to the room, a volunteer will ask for their card, which will have the ages of their children on it. The parent will then be taken to the table set up for that age group and they can select the toys.

While the food delivery system helps minimize the spread of the pandemic, the toys have been given consideration as well. Fumi said only new toys in the box were accepted. She said no stuffed animals were collected this year because of COVID-19.

While the 107 families will be able to have a Christmas this month, the need is still there year round. Donations are always needed to continue the program. Anyone wishing to help out can send a donation to: Canfield Operation Blessing, P.O. Box 652, Canfield, OH 44406.