CLEVELAND — The May Dugan Center on Cleveland's West Side, 4115 Bridge Ave. has been serving the Cleveland community for 50 years.
"Our mission is to help people advance their lives and communities. So, we work with low income folks throughout Greater Cleveland, helping them with a variety of services from adult education, mental health counseling and different services," said Andy Trares, the deputy director of the center.
A big part of helping people is the food and clothing distribution the center hosts twice a month, with about 250 to 300 people coming in to pick up what they need each time.
However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the need for basic supplies, like food and clothing, has tremendously increased.
"We have received over 100 calls, just this week, at our front desk, folks asking about food distribution. Food has become our number one call when folks call asking for services," said Trares.
On Wednesday, to continue to serve the community while maintaining social distance, the center is hosting a drive-thru food distribution. By Friday, they had served 807 families, or 2,329 people,.
Cars will line up on Bridge Avenue and continue westward. Food will be put in trunks. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated so all people are asked to drive. An authorized proxy will be accepted to pick up food for people who do not have access to a vehicle.
For people who may not have access to a vehicle or a proxy, or who may be disabled or at high risk, call the center at 216-631-5800 x300 between 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
"We will we'll do our best to accommodate everybody. We want to have every our food pantry completely bare by the end of the day," said Trares.
But with the growing need, they're going to need more community support to meet the increased demand. Whether that's in the form of donations or volunteers, anything helps.
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