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Marion, Ohio manufacturer, Sakamura, USA, Inc. recently delivered a donation of 600 pounds of food to Morrill Hall loading dock on the Marion campus.

Sakamura employees made a significant donation to the Marion Campus Food Pantry. The pantry supports students from 91���� Marion and Marion Technical College who may be experiencing food insecurity due to a lack of money and access to nutritious food.

Craig Blanton of Sakamura, USA explained that it is challenging to put into words what the donation to the campus-based food pantry and the inspiration behind all of it means to the organization.

“As soon as Sakamura USA became aware of the students struggling with food during this time, we wanted to do our best to help the situation,” he stressed.

“From the very beginning of my time here at Sakamura USA, I realized how important community outreach is to this company, said Blanton. Sakamura USA understands the impact we can have on our community and how it can change the atmosphere of the area. We know that the stronger our community is as whole, the better off we will all be.”

“This is why we’re grateful to be in a position to help out, wherever/whenever we can,” added Blanton

Manager of Mental Health and Wellness Services and Staff Advisor for the Buckeye Food Alliance, Leslie Beary, who oversees operation of the pantry for the campus said that this was one of the largest donations they have ever received.

Beary shared that normally, the Buckeye Food Alliance hosts food drives in the community and on the campus. Because the pandemic prevented them from doing this, they were required to purchase the food to continue stocking the pantry.

“With the challenging year that we have all navigated,” said Beary, “this donation is so valued. Receiving donated food is always appreciated and it means so much to our organization that Sakamura initiated this effort on their own and surprised us with this very generous donation!”

“We’re starting to finally see some light at the end of the tunnel in regard to this pandemic,” Blanton said. “But we need to continue to push forward together, and make sure we’re helping everyone make it to the other side with us.”

Beary said, “The Buckeye Food Alliance (the student organization that oversees the campus food pantry) is so grateful to all the employees and the leadership of Sakamura for their effort and kindness.

“These kind of community partnerships are so important and make a significant difference for the students of the Marion campus,” Beary added.

According to 91���� Marion business management major and Marion Campus Food Pantry Student Assistant, Maya Bisignano, the group was thrilled to see how many different options were included in the Sakamura donation.

“We received a little bit of everything from most of the food groups,” said Beary.

“Thank you to the employees of Sakamura for your generous donation to the students here on the Marion campus. It was great receiving a variety of healthy foods that are not normally in our pantry. Your donation has greatly impacted students who need our services,” said Bisignano.

The relationship between Sakamura and the local campus goes beyond food donations. It is symbiotic. 91���� Marion has been an asset to the company in terms of student employees and problems solving, Blanton explained.

“We are also fortunate enough to have 91���� Marion as a partner in the community and know we can reach out with any issues we may have within our business and 91���� Marion is always willing to help,” he said. “We have used 91���� Marion students in the past,” Blanton said, “not only to help on solving problems, but we have even employed students as interns.”

“Whenever we’re faced with a problem here at Sakamura USA,” Blanton said, “we know the best way to solve it is by coming together as one. We take the same mentality when it comes to helping out our community around us.”

If an individual or an organization would like to donate to the campus food pantry, they are asked to contact Leslie Beary, beary.4@osu.edu or (740) 725-6349.

To make a monetary donation visit:/giving/marion-campus-funds.html, click the student support link and the fund name OSU Marion Campus Community Cupboard Fund.