Out of the 25 Stark County Municipalities, Massillon is ranked fourth in the percentage of people living below the poverty line. In Stark County, it is estimated that 48,510 adults and 14,410 children are food insecure.

One in two Americans are living in loneliness according to the US Surgeon General's 2023 Report.

Through our work in the city over the past 15 years, we have discovered that many of the city’s residents lack access to healthy food. The residents that lack transportation living in the southwest side of Massillon, where we are headquartered,  must walk 20 to 25 minutes to buy healthy food and that’s if they can afford it. Imagine being a single mother with two toddlers in 90-degree heat hauling groceries home on foot. Without access to healthy food, our residents are suffering. A healthy diet has been proven to be one of the major building blocks of a healthy life.  

In April 2025, in partnership with Akron Canton Food Bank, we are opening a food pantry in Southwest Massillon in the building that was formerly Demmer Hardware to provide residents with access to healthy food. This food pantry will be unique in that it will function more like a grocery store. It will initially be open one day a week with late afternoon and evening hours, in hopes that we will soon be able to be open 5 days a week!  It will provide various meats and fresh produce, and will be laid out like a typical grocery store so that residents can select what they need. Imagine the impact on our city! 

The US Surgeon General reports that, “about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems, exacerbating loneliness and isolation.”

We are determined to combat this issue through the City Serve Café that will also open in April 2025. We will begin by serving coffee, other beverages, pastries and snacks to our pantry guests. This won’t be your run of the mill Café. Sure, our barista’s will be able to make delicious lattes, but what will set them apart is their ability to deliver world-class hospitality. Our barista’s will be equipped to build relationships with the people of our city, so that they are seen, heard, valued, and have a place to belong. Any future profit from the cafe will be used to meet additional needs within the community. 

Do you want to join us in providing healthy food for the residents of Massillon and destroying the loneliness that they experience? If so, there are a few ways to get involved with the cause.

One is to generously give. We already have the building, but it needs to be renovated. We estimate that the renovations will cost $1.6 million. Additionally, in order to provide the best possible food selection to our neighbors, we will have to purchase some of the food provided through the pantry.

We plan to get started serving our community right away and work towards our ultimate goal in the 3 phases outlined below:

1. Starting with what we already have, we will open our food pantry in April of 2025 one day a week and serve coffee along with other beverages and snacks  to provide hospitality to our pantry guests at no charge.

2. We will increase the number of days we are open and extend operating hours as to increase the number of households we are serving through our food pantry and cafe. We will increase our funding through grant awards and private donors in order to meet increased needs and work to acquire added equipment and volunteers. We will make improvements to our building as we go along.

3. We will operate a fully functioning cafe and food pantry from a newly renovated building 5 days a week with well trained staff and volunteers!

The second way to get involved is through volunteering at the Café and food pantry. Finally, you can contribute by encouraging the people in your network of influence to give and volunteer.

Let’s seek the peace and prosperity of the people of Massillon together and make it a city everyone wants to live in, and no person goes unseen! 

 Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). How Does Social Connectedness Affect Health.

Office of the U.S. Surgeon General (2023). Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community (pp.)

Stark Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Stark County, The Center for Community Solutions. (2023). Stark County Community Assessment: Indications of Health, Social, and Economic Conditions (pp. 25-33).