Jay Whitehair of Ellsworth Township is a retired UPS driver, but for the past six years he has been committed to making sure no one goes hungry in the Mahoning Valley. 

The father of two dedicates his time to the food bank every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting at 7 A.M.

After his arrival, he hops on the road using the Second Harvest Food Bank's refrigerated van to start his route to different grocery stores throughout the Mahoning County. Some of those stores include Giant Eagle, Sam's Club and Sparkle Market. 

The retired UPS driver told 21 News that going from store to store for the past few years has become a rewarding journey filled with friendly faces, who are also making sure this food reaches tables instead of the landfill. 

Local grocery stores are key partners in this effort to feed the Valley. They donate items that are still perfectly good but can't be sold.

Within just a few hours during a shift, Whitehair's van is packed with about 5,000 pounds of food. The work Jay is doing highlights the critical need to fight against hunger.

"I was kind of shocked, actually, about just how bad things were for a lot of the people here," Whitehair said. 

Second Harvest Food Bank provided 8.7 million meals in 2023. Since his time behind the wheel, Whitehair has seen first hand the impact he is making on families in need.

"Whenever I pull up [to a church in [Leavittsburg] to drop off [food] everyone that's in line beep[s] their horn and wave. and I blow the horn on the truck. We're all happy and [families are] really appreciative," Whitehair said.