Channel 3 is unveiling a new series of reports we are calling "Hero Central," where we spotlight people taking the initiative to help others in these trying times.
Our first spotlight focuses attention on what you can do this weekend to help fight a growing problem in our communities: hunger.
Nearly one in every four Ohio children is listed as "food insecure," which means they don't know where their next meal is coming from.
Channel 3, in partnership with the Cleveland FoodBank, the Cleveland Indians and Giant Eagle, are helping to address the problem this weekend.
Kids who bring a non-perishable food item to this Sunday's Indians game will get a free ticket to that night's game or tickets to any other game that falls on a "Kids Fun Day."
Adults who bring non-perishable items to Monday's or Tuesday's game will be given the same offer.
Giant Eagle will then match the amount of food donated and donate the entire amount to the Cleveland FoodBank.
"Over recent months, we have noticed our shelves are more and more bare," says Lou Keim, of the West Side Community Corner in Cleveland, a facility that helps families in need of food.
"We are seeing a lot of families that we saw years ago, who thought they were done needing our services, but they are back," Keim says.
Among them is Amanda Voytovich, a mother of two who is going back to school to try to get a job as a nurse's assistant.
"I come here to get food for my son as often as I can," she says. "I always tried to help the community, and now the community is giving back to me."
