Ohio National Guard News

Spouses of adjutants general tour, volunteer at food bank

By Stephanie Beougher, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs

Spouses of state adjutants general from across the country are careful to stay within the yellow lines to keep clear of the many forklifts loading and unloading items at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank during a tour of the facility June 23, 2017, in Grove City, Ohio. The spouses volunteered to help stock shelves with donated items following the tour. (Photos by Staff Sgt. Michael Carden, ONG)

The spouses of more than 20 state adjutants general from across the country perform volunteer work stocking food items, including bananas, June 23, 2017, at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank in Grove City, Ohio. The foodbank serves a 20-county area in Central and Eastern Ohio, providing nearly 150,000 meals every day.

GROVE CITY, Ohio (06/23/17) — As the forklifts zoomed by, the tour guide at Ohio’s largest food bank kindly asked the group to stay within the yellow lines marked along the concrete floor. Some in the tour saw the humor in telling a group of military spouses to follow the rules.

The spouses of more than 20 adjutants general from across the country toured the Mid-Ohio Foodbank in Grove City on June 23, where a former mattress warehouse has been transformed into a distribution hub to feed people in 20 Central and Eastern Ohio counties. The foodbank tour ended with the spouses helping stock shelves.

“The spouses enjoyed learning about the Mid-Ohio Foodbank and how it supports our community. They certainly got into the spirit with a bit of ‘beat the clock’ banana and bread stacking,” said Christi Bartman, wife of Maj. Gen. Mark Bartman, Ohio’s adjutant general.

Mrs. Bartman hosted the spouses while Maj. Gen. Bartman hosted the adjutants general for meetings in Columbus. In addition to the foodbank, she also showed the out-of-state visitors the Ohio Statehouse, the governor’s residence and other landmark sites in and around Columbus.

Jill Jess of the Mid-Ohio Foodbank said she was glad they took time to volunteer.

“Volunteers are the lifeline of our work. Each year, more than 11,000 community members serve 60,000 hours — that’s the equivalent of almost 30 full-time staff. We are so grateful to each and every volunteer for their help in feeding our hungry neighbors and spreading the word about hunger in our community,” Jess said.

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank supplies more than 650 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school programs, produce markets and senior housing sites to provide nearly 150,000 meals every day.