March 16 marks the eighth anniversary of the publication of Toledo Free Press and the third anniversary of Toledo Free Press Star. We have published a combined 475 issues, but understand we are still at the beginning of a long process in sharing positive news and offering a “glass half-full” approach to chronicling the evolution of Northwest Ohio.
It has been a remarkable and challenging eight years. Toledo Free Press has grown to be Lucas County’s largest circulation Sunday newspaper, one named “Best Weekly Newspaper in Ohio” for the past four years by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. We cannot fully express our gratitude to the readers, advertisers and partners who have helped us and continue to help us in the
nascent days of our journey.
A major part of our mission has been to give back to the community that supports us. We have sponsored hundreds of nonprofit events and spearheaded such projects as the benefit CDs for Make-A-Wish and Red Cross as well as Leadership Toledo’s Restaurant Week Toledo, which just marked a third successful year.
With that mindset, Toledo Free Press is proud to announce a yearlong initiative, “Free from Hunger.” The brainchild of Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller and Columbia Gas of Ohio Communications and Community Relations Manager Chris Kozak, Free from Hunger builds on our previous efforts to address a critical community issue.
- 74,100 people, or 25.8 percent of the City of Toledo’s population, are living in poverty ($23,000 household income for a family of four).
- 37 percent of the individuals in Lucas County live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
- 30,116 children in Lucas County live at or below the poverty level.
- More than 85,000 Lucas County residents are “food insecure”; 35 percent of them are children under 18. One out of 10 of those children is younger than 5.
For Free from Hunger, Toledo Free Press, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Hollywood Casino Toledo, Wells Fargo Advisors, WNWO-TV, WNWO Moms on the Go and WSPD 1370 AM are organizing a yearlong initiative to benefit three local charities whose mission is to feed needy citizens in Lucas County: Food for Thought, Feed Lucas County Children and Cherry Street Mission.
We are recruiting corporate sponsors to contribute to a fund, established with the Toledo Community Foundation, to donate to these groups and host a series of fundraising events to benefit these causes. The March 23 concert by Bob Guiney and Scott Grimes will benefit Food for Thought.
As the year progresses, Toledo Free Press will devote considerable resources to highlighting the needs of these charities and to discussing this devastating problem. There cannot be an honest dialogue about education and economic development when so many of our citizens are dealing with basics such as hunger and nutrition. Through Free from Hunger, we hope to raise awareness and make a direct impact on our community.
Thank you for your support of our previous initiatives. As we hurtle toward a full decade in business, we ask you to join us in contributing to solutions, not just dwelling on problems.
Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.
