Volunteer youth group’s Thanksgiving food drive makes a difference for Valley families
Food insecurity in Ohio is a pervasive issue impacting more than 500,000 children and their families. Reportedly, 1 in 6 children across the Buckeye State will face hunger, unsure if or when their next meal will come. One Mahoning Valley organization is doing its part to change that.
Since 2015, the Boo Squad, a volunteer youth group funded by nonprofit organization The Anthony V. Spano Foundation, has partnered with community organizations to support Valley residents. The organization is hosting its sixth annual Thanksgiving food drive and is accepting donated food items from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday at 103 Forest Creek Drive, Struthers. Food will be distributed Nov. 20.
Dr. Heather Hrina Medvec, Boo Squad founder and director, said the Thanksgiving food drive is one of its most significant events, enabling hundreds of local families to have food during the holiday.
“This is our biggest mission every year, and we have fed 535 local families in the Valley. This year, we would like to surpass the 213 families we fed last year,” Medvec said.
The local organization includes children who are passionate about community service and giving back to those in need. From working with Akron Children’s Hospital to helping cancer patients to decorating senior doors at nursing homes, the group members are committed to showing they care.
“The Boo Squad is a volunteer group of children ages 7 to 13 from the tri-county area that serve their community through volunteer work and fundraising,” Medvec said. “We have served at the community kitchen, provided children at the Beatitude House with a birthday party and volunteered at The Purple Cat Prom.”
The Thanksgiving food drive was developed after young volunteers delivered door-to-door gifts to local families and were inspired to do more.
“We started with a simple concept of leaving ‘boo bags’ filled with treats on family and friends’ doorsteps, and the kids loved how good it made them feel to make someone feel good. So we kept the name Boo Squad after our first boo bag mission,” Medvec said.
Within several years, the group’s food drive has become the organization’s flagship event that provides healthy meals and offers a beacon of hope to those in need.
“It not only provides a meal but, hopefully, it also provides these families hope that there is good in this world no matter how small the hands are helping them,” Medvec said.
As the Boo Squad’s fiscal sponsor, The Anthony V. Spano Foundation provides a comprehensive learning experience for its youngest members, teaching them the importance of respecting others with differences, being compassionate and the value of volunteer work.
“[We teach them] compassion, volunteerism and always just being kind. [Parents] are impressed with the life lessons we are instilling in our youth, and they are extremely thankful and touched,” Medvec said.
For more information on how you can support and donate, visit the Boo Squad’s Facebook page or contact Medvec at 330-301-8761.
This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Volunteer youth group’s Thanksgiving food drive makes a difference for Valley families."
