Hunger at the Last Mile in Portage County

A day with Rural Relief Mobile Food Pantry shows what it takes to move food the final mile into rural communities—real-time shortages, handwritten intake logs, and intimate acts of neighbor-to-neighbor care.

You’ll hear from:

• Jason & Rena, Rural Relief Mobile Food Pantry
• Dennis, a neighbor on fixed income
• Becky Lehman, Portage County Health Commissioner (drive-through pop-up)
• Bill Childers, United Way Portage County

In this episode:

• Loading the bus: ordering “the menu,” filling gaps in the Foodbank marketplace, tossing spoiled produce, pivoting on the fly.
• Why the bus matters: 80% first-time users; reaching people who can’t get to town pantries.
• At Atwater Park: personalized dignity (snack packs for kids, ramen for a teen), and how the food always runs out right on time.
• Real stories of our neighbors: A grandmother raising four grandkids; Dennis choosing between utilities and dinner.
• Funding in motion: United Way connects Rural Relief to stable micro-grants mid-distribution.

Credits:

Reporting/hosting by Ben & Patrick Childers. Editing/mix/master by Patrick. Fact-check by Dash Lewis. Story edit by Jenna Marson. Artwork by Miggs Sonny. Original music by L.T. Headtrip.

Mentioned in this episode:

Neighbors In Need: Portage County Emergency Support Drive

Neighbors In Need