Harbor of Hope began in May of 2003 as an outreach ministry and food pantry serving just a few families each month. The ministry initially relied on food donations from the community, but soon had to get food from the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank to fill the need.

Due to the growing demand for food pantries throughout the county, Barrs Mill became the drop-off point for the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank’s deliveries to Tuscarawas County. The average number of families helped per month grew to over 100, and November of 2007, that number exceeded 224 families!

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With the growing numbers, limited resources started to become an issue that weighed heavily on our hearts. We were forced to make the difficult decision to serve only the residents of Northwestern Tuscarawas County and members of sponsoring churches. The rest of the families were referred to other food pantries in the county.

As difficult as the decision was, it proved to be the best for the ministry. We are able to consistently help and serve a large number of people every month, and that was our goal. Today the Barrs Mill Harbor of Hope distributes approximately 5,000 pounds of food serving over 65 families every month.
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about this ministry's leader.
Freida Schott