The Dublin Food Pantry has sold out its annual Bounty at Bridge Park fundraiser, set for Sept. 20 at The Exchange at Bridge Park.

The event caps a 50th anniversary year for the nonprofit, which was founded in March 1976 as the Dublin Area Emergency Assistance Program. The pantry served 631,041 meals across 10,487 households in 2025, and visits have increased nearly 200 percent since 2019, according to the organization.

Two programs launched in recent years show the pantry's reach expanding well past its shelves.

Garden nearly doubles its harvest

The OhioHealth Sustainability Garden, planted outside the pantry's facility at 6608 Dublin Center Drive in fall 2023, produced 1,200 pounds of fresh food in its second year. That nearly doubled the 650 pounds harvested in year one, and the garden team plans to exceed the mark in 2026, the pantry said in a May 22 blog post.

A crew of 10 to 15 volunteers tends the garden each week, many trained through The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener program. Everything grown goes directly to the pantry. No one rents a plot or takes food home.

Dana Kromer and Carolyn Abood, both retired physicians, lead the effort. Abood said in the May 22 post that fresh produce is the hardest item for families to access.

The garden grows tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, bok choy, eggplant, carrots, onions and herbs.

Pre-game snacks reach three schools

Through a partnership with the OhioHealth Sports Medicine Program, students at Dublin Scioto High School, Sells Middle School and Davis Middle School can grab granola bars, fruit and protein snacks before practices and games.

Sean McHenry, associate manager at OhioHealth, described the need in a June 30 pantry blog post: "You need to fill the tank … Starting on empty is tough for these kids."

More than 3,700 Dublin City Schools students receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch during the school year. About 22 percent of Dublin students are classified as economically disadvantaged, and in some schools that figure reaches 70 percent, according to the pantry.

Hunger Action Month

September is Hunger Action Month, and the pantry is using the designation to close out its anniversary campaign, titled "More Than Food, More Than 50 Years."

The Sept. 20 gala runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Residents who could not get tickets can donate at dublinfoodpantry.org/donate or sign up to volunteer at dublinfoodpantry.org/volunteer. Every dollar donated provides about 2.5 meals, the pantry said.

The pantry is open Monday from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon.