History

The FreestoreFoodbank grew from humble beginnings out of one man’s passion for helping his neighbors. In 1971, Frank Gerson, an employee of the city dump, made a practice of rescuing discarded household items and giving them to people in need. He called his venture the “Free Store.” As he and a small group of volunteers delivered rescued items to 428 needy families that first year, they surely had no idea what they were starting. Steve Gibbs, one of Frank Gerson’s original volunteers, gave structure to the organization and guided it through its first 34 years of success.

The FreestoreFoodbank has been a member of America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network since 1979. One of Ohio’s largest food banks, the FreestoreFoodbank serves a population of some 160,000 low-income persons in a twenty-county region. Now, under the leadership of John J. Young, who oversees a staff of more than 100 employees, the FreestoreFoodbank continues to keep pace with the burgeoning needs of a community struggling against an ever-rising poverty level. In Cincinnati, the FreestoreFoodbank is known by people in crisis as “the place to go” for help. Among donors and supporters, it is one of the Tri-state’s most highly-respected and effective human services organizations.