Closing with purpose: Smucker’s farewell brings new hope to region

Any time an old standby goes away, it’s sad for everybody involved. That’s certainly the case for the Smucker’s store and café, which will close its doors for good Jan. 16.

This story, though, comes with a twist, a happy one that will benefit the entire Akron-Canton region and contribute toward solving what has become a national crisis: food insecurity.

The store, located a mile north of U.S. Route 30 on state Route 57 (Wadsworth Road), is not going away. It’s simply being given away. Following an announcement in September, the J.M. Smucker Co. is donating its 19,000-square-foot building and more than 30 acres of land to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

“We have always believed that success as an organization is thriving along with all those who count on our business, and that begins in our backyard here in Northeast Ohio,” Mark Smucker, chief executive officer and chair of the board, said in a statement at the time of the announcement. “Our longtime partners at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank continue to do incredible work to help address food insecurity in our community, and we saw a unique opportunity to extend our support through this donation.”

Signs on the store’s doors tout 30% off consumable products and 70% off merchandise (gifts and apparel), so those wanting a bargain have about a week left to get one. Customers last week were seen heading back to their cars with packed boxes full of goodies.

Once the store closes, that’s it. Operations are not being moved elsewhere. Smucker’s many lines of consumables will be available in most of the same places they always have. So those needing an Uncrustable, a Twinkie, or even a Milk Bone or Meow Mix will have plenty of places to get them.

“We remain committed to ensuring consumers can find their favorite Smucker products,” said Frank Carillo, director of corporate communications for J.M. Smucker. “We have a broad distribution with key brick-and-mortar and ecommerce partners to help ensure our products are available to our consumers. In addition, each of our brand websites has a ‘Where to Buy’ feature that allows consumers to search for where they can purchase their favorite products, both online and in-store locally.”

Carillo said store employees who meet requirements will be eligible for severance. All can apply for other roles within the organization if interested.

“Please know any decision that impacts our employees is only made after careful consideration, and we are supporting these employees through this transition,” Carillo said.

The store opened in 1999 and has become one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions. Exact numbers of guests vary from year to year, but with the store situated in Amish Country, which annually draws 2.5 million visitors, and sitting on the region’s main east-west artery, the store was a popular destination for locals and visitors alike.

While tourists and hungry Wayne Countians may miss out, the bigger story is the donation to the food bank, part of Smucker’s ongoing initiatives toward hunger-related programming.

Along with the retail space and land and in partnership with the Wayne County Community Foundation, Smucker will provide $1 million over five years to a fund established to support the food bank.

Smucker is well-known for giving to the community, including its hometown of Orrville. Supporting key initiatives such as parks and the library and establishing the area’s first community hospital and Heartland Education Community Inc. are among the many initiatives the company has become known for.

Smucker also contributes to and its employees volunteer with community programs including the Orrville Area United Way and Orrville Area Boys & Girls Club.

Now that support will spread to a wide area and help far more people with far greater needs. According to information published in December by the food bank, nearly 15% of people (more than 200,000) in the region may struggle with hunger including 17% of children (nearly 60,000 children).

Nearly three-quarters of people visiting Ohio’s food banks had to choose between food and transportation/gas, with more than 65% choosing between food and utilities and nearly 60% choosing between food and health care/medicine.

The food bank’s 2024 estimates showed nearly 13% (almost 15,000) of Wayne County residents and 15% (4,000) of children faced food insecurity. Nearly every other county in the Akron-Canton region was worse. The food bank in 2024 provided 1.4 million pounds of food, which translated into 1.1 million meals.

That included nearly half-a-million pounds of fresh produce. Food insecurity is a USDA measure of lack of access to nutritional food.

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is a nonprofit organization geared toward helping the 1-in-7 people in Northeast Ohio who may face hunger. The food bank sources emergency food for more than 630 food pantries, meal sites, shelters and other hunger-relief programs that directly serve individuals and families in Wayne, Medina, Holmes, Stark, Summit, Carroll, Portage and Tuscarawas counties.

“The J.M. Smucker Co. is an amazing company with a tremendous family of brands that has been supportive of our food bank and food banks across the country for decades,” said Dan Flowers, president and chief executive officer of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, as part of the statement released in September. “This transformational donation is further evidence of their deep commitment to food security, and we look forward to digging into this exciting project with local partners.”