South Zanesville First Baptist Church and East Side Ministry Hold Free Produce Market

The South Zanesville First Baptist Church and East Side Ministry held a free produce market today.

The market took place at the church on East Main Street. The donated food came from the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and arrived at the church early this morning. There was a variety of different fruits and vegetables that were placed in cardboard boxes and handed out to those who came.

“The Mid-Ohio Food Bank delivered eight pallets of fresh food this morning. We had grapes, apples, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, other mixed vegetables, carrots, apples, onions, that type of thing. We boxed those up. We made up 200 boxes. We have customers line up in the parking lot. They start lining up at like 6 o’clock in the morning,” said Linda Hollingsworth, Coordinator of the free produce market.

Hollingsworth emphasized the importance of not just what type of food was received, but the quality of food that was received and how it would benefit the recipients.

“Well, the goal of Mid-Ohio Food Bank and East Side is to provide fresh food because that is healthier than pre- packaged foods and that is a big goal of Mid-Ohio Food Bank. With the statistics they keep, they can actually track how much healthier it is for people to be eating, especially people that are diabetic or have other health issues, you can’t beat fresh food. So, it’s a big plus for people,” Hollingsworth added.

The next free produce market will be held in September.