Food Pantry, Vaccination Clinic Coming To Garfield Heights

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, OH — A mobile food pantry and pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic will be held at the Garfield Heights Library on Aug. 4.

Cuyahoga County Public Libraries are working with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to bring free food to those in need. The event will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and food will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Additional food pantries will be held Sept. 1 and Oct. 6.

During the Aug. 4 food pantry, there will also be a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the library. The library system is working with United Healthcare to host outdoor clinics during the food giveaways.

Ohio is seeing the ascendance of the delta variant of COVID-19 and health officials have been urging Ohioans to get vaccinated against the virus.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer for the Ohio Department of Health, said the delta variant will soon be the dominant strand of COVID-19 in Ohio. The variant is more contagious than any other previously dominant strand in the Buckeye State.

"Our current vaccines are effective against the delta variant," Vanderhoff said. "The bad news is that if you are partially or not vaccinated you are at a greater risk of hospitalization."