Park district collecting food for Feeding Medina County

Medina County Park District (MCPD) is partnering with Feeding Medina County (FMC) to collect nonperishable food throughout November for those impacted by the federal shutdown.

“November is a time to give thanks, and this is one more way we can serve the community and say thank you,” MCPD Director Nathan Eppink said.

Items can be dropped off during regular hours at two locations:

• MCPD administrative offices, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 6364 Deerview Lane, Medina 44256

• Oenslager Nature Center, open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., at 6100 Ridge Road, Wadsworth 44281

Only the following items will be accepted. Items past their best-buy date, opened, made of glass, or packaged in economy-sized portions will not be collected.

• Boxes of dried pasta, sauce in plastic jars or cans, and microwaveable pasta packets

• Dried or microwaveable rice

• Canned or microwaveable soup

• Packets of tuna and chicken

• Boxes or microwaveable macaroni and cheese

• Pancake mix and syrup

• Oatmeal

• Boxes of cereal or single-serve cereal cups

• Peanut butter and jelly

• Breakfast bars

• Graham crackers

• Canned fruit or fruit cups

• Applesauce packets or cups

For a list of food distribution events and other ways to support FMC directly, visit feedingmedinacounty.org.

MCPD receives no federal funding and is not affected by the shutdown. Its primary source of revenue is a small property tax assessed in 16 of Medina County’s 17 townships.

Medina County Park District manages more than 9,000 acres, including 24 parks and over 60 trails, serving as a regional leader in conservation, education, and outdoor recreation. For more information, visit medinacountyparks.com.

Feeding Medina County serves more than 900 families through monthly food distributions in Brunswick, Lodi, Medina, and Wadsworth. It also provides about 1,000 “weekender” food bags to local schoolchildren weekly and distributes fresh food to more than 450 seniors monthly through its “Staples for Seniors” program.