The line of people outside the Freestore Foodbank during the holidays is a humbling image that, once viewed, can't be forgotten. For many, it's one of the most poignant images of the holiday season: the juxtaposition of hundreds of hungry people in the midst of a thriving urban environment.

But even though there is a great need for assistance within the urban core, most are not aware there are just as many hungry neighbors in suburban and rural areas.

While we have long delivered food to our rural neighbors in need, in the past we often weren't always able to deliver wholesome perishable foods. There simply was no way to keep perishables at proper and safe temperatures during the hour-or-longer journey to Scioto County in Ohio, Owens County in Kentucky and Switzerland County in Indiana. However, around this time last year, the Freestore Foodbank added a weapon to its hunger-fighting arsenal when we were one of the seven food banks nationwide to receive a Kraft Foods Mobile Pantry.

Literally a food pantry on wheels, the Mobile Food Pantry is a 26-foot refrigerated truck that holds up to 10,000 pounds of food. The mobile food pantry provides us with the ability to distribute more food – and more types of food - very quickly and efficiently. The refrigerated truck brings fresh foods, notably fruits, vegetables, proteins and dairy items, helping our rural neighbors get the essential nutrients they need.

The Mobile Food Pantry has the capacity to serve approximately 150 families per stop, depending on the number of pounds of food scheduled for distribution. It makes an average of five trips a week and annually distributes more than 750,000 pounds of food – approximately 500,000 meals – to those in our rural areas who might otherwise go hungry.

Although Kraft and Feeding America have been very generous to us with the Mobile Pantry over the past year, it's really events like the upcoming Rubber Duck Regatta that provide us resources to provide our rural neighbors with fresh, nutrient-rich food.

So the next time you see that line in front of our Liberty Street Food Room, remember that because of our Mobile Pantry our neighbors outside the city won't be going hungry during the holidays either.

For more information on the Freestore Foodbank or the Rubber Duck Regatta, visit here.

Most people are aware that the Freestore Foodbank provides food for those in need. However, food is only the first step - over the years, we've learned that hunger is often symptomatic of a larger problem.

That's why we've added critical social services to our outreach.  When our neighbors come to us for food, we use that conversation as a gateway to determining what other necessities they may require; a safe place to live, government benefits like Food Stamps, access to affordable health care, clothing, or job training and placement.

We also strive to develop programs that provide direct assistance beyond food, like Cincinnati COOKS!. Cincinnati COOKS! is a free, 10-week culinary training program that prepares at-risk individuals for employment in the food service industry) provide real, necessary skills that enable our clients to seek jobs and become self-sufficient, thriving members of the community.

With more than 10 percent of Tri-State residents un- or underemployed, this assistance is needed more than ever before.

Our philosophy is simple: Food is not the end product - rather, food is the vehicle for a larger conversation that leads to self-reliance. Further, by providing emergency food, we work to determine the root causes of poverty and food insecurity, and this allows us to offer services aimed at creating self-reliance.

Money raised through events like the upcoming Rubber Duck Regatta provides us with the resources to help these people get back on their feet. It all begins with food - but it's the hope we offer after the initial first step that really matters.

For more information on the Freestore Foodbank or the Rubber Duck Regatta, visit here.

Most people take it for granted they are able to visit the grocery store and pick up basics like bread, eggs and milk. For many throughout the Tri-State, even purchasing those staples is difficult. With un- and underemployment rising throughout the area (the number is now at more than 10 percent), more and more families are going hungry.

It becomes even more disturbing once you realize how many children are food insecure. Ohio and Kentucky rank 14th and 16th worst among states in terms of hungry children; in Ohio 20.4 percent of children didn't know where their next meal was coming from in the three year span between 2006 and 2008, and in Kentucky the rate was 20.2 percent. That's one out of every five children in Ohio and Kentucky. While food insecurity is troubling no matter who is going hungry, childhood hunger is the most damaging: it threatens overall health, growth and brain development that could hamper future educational and professional opportunities.

The time to act is now. Our mission at the Freestore Foodbank is to provide food and services that create stability and further self-reliance for people in crisis. To combat these alarming statistics, last year we distributed 12 millions pounds of food to 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, and have set a goal to distribute 16 million pounds of food this year to meet the increasing demand. Unfortunately, even with this increase, we will be unable to keep pace with the growing demand.

That's what makes events like the upcoming Rubber Duck Regatta so critical to our organization. Through our fundraising events, we are able to raise funds and food to help combat these unsettling statistics. Other programs like Power Pack (which provides food for students to take home over the weekend) and Kids Cafe (provides an evening meal after school for children who might not otherwise get one) also help get food directly into the hands of your neighbors who need it.

To give you an example of how a single donation helps: a $25 gift (which will also buy six ducks in the Rubber Duck Regatta race) will help feed a family of four for a week.

Small price to pay to help feed a family in need.

Later this week, I'll blog about how the Freestore Foodbank helps further self-reliance among our clients. In the meantime, for more information on the Freestore Foodbank or the Rubber Duck Regatta, visit here.