Lake County, OH – Laketran is transforming its Mentor Park-n-Ride lot into a food distribution site for
seniors in need on Wednesdays from 12:00p.m. – 3:00p.m. to provide 450 Lake County senior
households access to fresh produce and diary.
Offering a completely contactless pick up process, Laketran employees and community volunteers
place groceries in the trunk of seniors’ cars as they arrive. Volunteers are equipped with PPE to ensure
all participant’s safety.
To date, over 1,500 seniors have been served since the program launched in May. The program has
expanded from serving 300 families to 450 each week and, while originally slated to end in June, will
now continue to August 12, 2020. Partnering agencies include Laketran, Lake County Board of
Commissioners, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Lifeline, Council on Aging, Lake Humane Society, and
RSVP of Lake County.
“During these difficult times, we have to work together to care for our most vulnerable and at risk
populations, and seniors make up a large part of that group in Lake County,” said Laketran board
president Brian Falkowski. “We know many seniors are not comfortable going grocery shopping yet, so
our agencies creatively found a way to get groceries to them in a safe way.”
The distribution is made possible by the Farm to Families Food Box program, a USDA funded program
created in light of the COVIID-19 pandemic. The USDA is able to purchase farm surplus and distribute
it to those in need. In Northeast Ohio, the Greater Cleveland Foodbank serves as a liaison for the Food
to Families program. The produce and dairy are supplied by Northeast Ohio suppliers, The Sanson
Company and Miceli Dairy Products Company, who are Farm to Families approved contractors.
Lake Humane Society is also distributing pet food to families.
“Our primary mission at Laketran is to help people. There was a need in our community and it’s great to
have all these agencies come together to meet it,” said Laketran CEO Ben Capelle. “We are grateful to
the Greater Cleveland Foodbank for recognizing our program and choosing it as a recipient of the Farm
to Families program, allowing us to serve our senior families in Lake County.”
The program runs on Wednesdays through August 12 from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pre-registration is
mandatory. To register, Lake County seniors 60 and over can call Lifeline at 2-1-1 or the Lake County
Council on Aging at 440-205-8111.
