CLEVELAND — As we approach the holiday season, food banks are gearing up to provide food for families in need, but they also need help to reach their goals. Every Thursday, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank passes out around 3,000 boxes of food to families in the city.

"We're distributing boxes of food that could include fresh produce, meat, dairy. It really varies from week to week," said Karen Pozna, the director of communications for the food bank.

What You Need To Know

  • The Greater Cleveland Food Bank has helped 40,000 new customers since the pandemic started mid-March

  • There is a need for monetary donations to buy food for the holidays

  • The food bank distributes around 3,000 boxes of food every Thursday

Ponza said since the pandemic started back in March, they are assisting more families than normal.

"We have served 40,000 new clients. That's about a third of the clients overall that we serve. That is actually twice as many new clients this year compared to that same time last year."

With Thanksgiving just a month away, the food bank is preparing to give away turkeys to families. The food bank is aggressively fundraising to raise money to have enough food to meet the increasing need for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"The need is high right now and with the pandemic, it's only that much worse. We're seeing so many people turn to the food bank for the first time, and we just want to make sure that they have the food that they need. This pandemic and the economic crisis that we're in the midst of it could extend for an unknown period of time, and we want to make sure here at the food bank that we're able to get that food out to the people who need it most."

Pozna said every dollar donated to the food bank provides four nutritious meals. She said donations can be made online and they also accept donations of non-perishable food items at their office. You can visit their website to learn how to help.