Plaza of Lights an opportunity to donate to food pantry

While the citizens of Pickerington are always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need, it’s during the holiday season that their generosity truly shines.

The PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington is lighting up the plaza in Olde Pickerington Village once again for the ninth annual Plaza of Lights. The annual holiday fundraiser generates as much as one-third of the pantry’s budget, says Barbara Meek, the pantry’s director of community relations and development.

A small portion of these funds covers the operational and administrative costs; the rest goes toward purchasing food for the pantry, which serves between 175 and 195 families each month.

The official lighting ceremony will take place during the Olde Village Holiday Gathering on Dec. 2. The lights will stay up through the week of New Year’s Day for the citizens of Pickerington to admire and enjoy.

The Violet Township Fire Department is indispensable in the Plaza of Lights’ success.  Firefighters plan the display and music, store the lights and hang them throughout the Plaza and on the former Carnegie Library building that now serve as the museum of the Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society.

“We don’t have the staff or manpower, and they love to help the community,” says Meek.

She and the fire department start planning for the event as early as August.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Plaza of Lights is that the splendor of the show grows with the funds raised: For every $5, a light is added. For every $125, it’s a strand of lights.

“It gets people involved in the food pantry and shows them what the money is doing for the pantry,” says Eric Taft, a paramedic with the fire department.

Donations are essential to the pantry so it can maintain operations and run extra programs, including summer and weekend lunches for students and holiday baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas. For every dollar donated, the pantry can purchase $11 worth of groceries from the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

Meek has been amazed by the generosity of ordinary community members. In 2008, the first Plaza of Lights raised $20,000.

“Our (client) numbers have tripled and so has the giving for the Plaza of Lights, which is pretty neat. Our community has stepped up,” says Meek.

She hopes that, as giving continues to grow, the event can expand out into Olde Pickerington Village and become a drive-through light show.

“We would love for it to be a destination for families,” she says.

Katie Ellington is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

Donation Options

The PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington relies on donations to feed hungry families in the Pickerington Local School District. Donations can be made via the following methods:

1. Online at www.pcmafoodpantry.com.

2. Mail checks to:

  • PCMA Food Pantry
  • P.O. Box 914
  • Pickerington, OH 43147

3. Drop off cash or checks during client shopping hours (Mondays 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Saturdays 10 a.m.-noon). Please use the alley door and ring the bell.

4. Attend the lighting ceremony on Dec. 2 during the Olde Pickerington Holiday Gathering.

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