Press Releases / News

No One in Need is Turned Away

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

According to Jamie Taylor, Senior Banking Executive with Unified Bank, there is a place where no one in need is turned away, honesty is assumed, recipients can come by for food every time the doors are open and recipients choose the items they want. That place? The Greater Dover New Philadelphia Food Pantry at 420 West 3^rd Street in Dover, Ohio. 

Taylor was so impressed by the fact that anyone in need was served by the Food Pantry that he decided to not only volunteer his service, but also donate $500.00 from Unified Bank. 

As reported in the 2019 Annual Report of The Greater Dover New Philadelphia Food Pantry, eligibility to receive food from The Food Pantry is defined each year by Ohio Job and Family Services as an income level at or below 200% of the federally defined poverty level for their family size. Under these guidelines, US census data indicate that nearly 35% of the residents of Tuscarawas County are eligible for food assistance, such as that provided by The Food Pantry. Considering the population of the communities they serve; they could expect about 18,000 individuals (or 5,000 households) that might need their help.

The Food Pantry served a total of 5,433 separate households in 2019, which was a 10% increase from 2018. Of these households, 2,204 had not been served by them before. The median number of times a family was served was only 2, while the average number of service events per household was 6.8. About 1% of their recipients were served 50 or more times in the year. 

Each week, they delivered food to households that could not otherwise get food from them. Last year, they made a total of about 3,700 deliveries, for an average of about 70 per week. The number of different families receiving delivered food was about 300, and the average number of deliveries per household was about 12, i.e., about 12 weeks out of the possible 52.

With the onset and continuation of COVID, service needs for food pantries nationwide has increased. This community need has weighed heavily on Taylor’s mind. As a professional banker and commercial lender of over 30 years, Taylor is well aware of the needs in his communities. Knowing that his company, Unified Bank, cares deeply about the communities they serve, Taylor decided to be proactive within these communities. He has accepted it as his mission to do what he can to extend help when and where he can. 

The Greater Dover New Philadelphia Food Pantry is a 100% volunteer organization, and none of their volunteers receive any compensation of any kind. All donations go directly to the operation of The Food Pantry and purchasing of food for distribution. They serve approximately 600 families a week. Donations can be made conveniently and electronically by visiting them online at http://www.greaterdover-newphiladelphiafoodpantry.com/donate_now.html, in person or by mail by sending to PO Box 95, Dover, Ohio 44622. Their hours of operation are Thursday 5PM-8PM and Friday 9AM-Noon.

Unified Bank is a full-service FDIC-insured, state-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Martins Ferry, OH and has nineteen locations that serve the Ohio counties of Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Fairfield, Harrison, Hocking, Jefferson and Tuscarawas and Marshall County in West Virginia. Unified Bank is the sole operating subsidiary of United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP), a publicly-traded bank holding company, and has been serving the financial needs of the Ohio Valley since 1902 from its headquarters in Martins Ferry, Ohio.