Courtesy of WTFR
STEUBENVILLE, OH (WTRF) – In a season where many families are struggling, one Jefferson County woman is making a difference.
Marci Crawford rallied more than 110 volunteers at Franciscan University to package tens of thousands of meals in just a few hours. What started as one woman’s idea became a countywide effort to support those in need.
“It’s gonna be a beautiful day… we’re gonna make a difference in people’s lives,” said Crawford.
Students, deputies, business owners, board members, and neighbors all came together to be part of the effort. Crawford partnered with the nonprofit Meals of Hope to turn a Monday morning into a unified act of service.
“What we’re doing is we’re actually creating meals as a community. It’s all dehydrated food, we’re all putting it together, sealing it, and we’re actually today passing it out to all the local food pantries and churches so that anyone in need will have a meal,” said Crawford.
Volunteers formed a fast-paced assembly line to help move thousands of meals into Jefferson County food pantries.
“And it’s gonna be about 38,000 meals that we’re gonna be bringing out through Jefferson County,” Crawford said.
But her efforts don’t stop there. Crawford also leads the Jefferson County Women’s Empowerment group, which helps women reconnect with themselves and rebuild confidence.
“Because I think sometimes, especially as a woman, we try to wear a ton of hats. We are moms. We are business workers. We are helping others in the community and we’re trying to do all this and then we kind of let ourselves go. You have to give yourself time to fulfill yourself before you can help others,” she said.
Those who work with Crawford say she has a way of bringing people together.
“Marci has the gift of seeing the good in others and capitalizing on people’s gifts. I really think that unites Marci as a person but also unites her with other people. She really just wants to build a strong community and make it even stronger,” said Amy Colantoni of Indian Creek Local Schools.
Her leadership helped connect the county with Meals of Hope, whose team traveled to Steubenville to launch the project alongside her.
“They’d be able to have those connections to the local community. Find people and energize people to come together. Take time out of their Monday morning to help pack meals and help serve their local community. We need more people like Marci to help do that all over the country,” said Mathew Durfee with Meals of Hope.
At the end of the day, Crawford reminded everyone that it’s not about the numbers—it’s about unity.
“This is what I want people to realize… what a community can do when they’re all together and putting their efforts into one thing,” she said.
“Marci is turning neighbors into families through acts of kindness, through acts of love, and through the compassion she has for one another,” Colantoni added.