Sha-Wana Pressley-Ranson’s Linden roots bring warmth and a foodie flair to free meal sites
The menu at the kitchen and café where Sha-Wana Pressley-Ranson works never lacks for variety. One day, it’s comfort fare like meatloaf or loaded tater tots. Another, it’s a chef-inspired special called the Hot Shot—grilled sourdough bread topped with mashed potatoes, roast beef, gravy, and crispy onions with a side of green beans.
And with warm greetings from staff, natural lighting and art-covered walls, you might never know the space housed in the basement of Columbus’ Reeb Center on the south side is actually a free community meal site.
“It doesn’t look or feel like a soup kitchen, and that’s the point,” said Pressley-Ranson, director of prepared foods for Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC), which is Columbus’ food bank and the largest hunger relief organization in central and eastern Ohio. “We wanted to make a space where everyone is valued, where you can find community no matter what you’re going through in life.”
Everything produced by Pressley-Ranson’s 14-person team is part of the multi-faceted operations of Mid-Ohio Kitchen, MOFC’s direct feeding program that covers free meals for kids, lunches for unhoused adults, prepared grab-and-go entrees at pantries, and much more. Her team’s food shapes the palates of preschoolers, school kids, seniors and working parents alike.
Direct feeding isn’t uncommon for food banks and pantries, but Pressley-Ranson and her team—which includes an executive chef, cooks, delivery drivers, and a rotating host of volunteers—hope that going the extra mile with quality ingredients, foodie touches and big flavors makes customers feel welcome.
“It is not just a job for me. It brings joy seeing the faces of the people we serve,” she said. “This space conveys the message, ‘you are important, we see you.’ Whatever their situation, everyone in our community deserves the best meal we can make. That’s why we’re here.”
Pressley-Ranson brings more than good taste to the table. She knows the struggle, look and taste of hunger—and the love that goes into a tasty meal. For her, it all goes back to growing up at her grandmother Irene’s home in Columbus’ South Linden neighborhood and the chaos that can ensue in a family with 65 first cousins.
Grandma Irene “worked miracles” when it came to feeding the family, but there were times when food was scarce in the neighborhood.
“She had a garden in the backyard where she grew collard greens and tomatoes. And people would come up the alley and take peaches off her tree—without permission!” Pressley-Ranson recalls, laughing.
But Irene never complained.
“She knew many of her neighbors didn’t know where their next meal would be coming from. She was happy they had something to eat,” Pressley-Ranson said. “She had a third-grade education but owned her own home. Dad worked two jobs. They tried to make sure we had enough and to make sure the family who came to the house had enough.”
She aims to bring the same warmth and resourcefulness she gleaned from her upbringing into her own food, as well.
“To me food is love!” Pressley-Ranson said. “Both of my grandmothers did not have much. But when you came to their houses, that is how they expressed their love—through food. It was a source of comfort. That is what food means to me. It is love. It is family. It is care.”
Get Involved
September is Hunger Action Month. Here are some of the ways to support the work of Pressley-Ranson, her Mid-Ohio Kitchen team and MOFC:
Donate: For every dollar donated, MOFC can distribute up to $4.56 worth of groceries. You can donate here
Volunteer: MOFC needs 1,000 volunteers every week, and opportunities to get involved are many, including harvesting at the Mid-Ohio Farm, stocking shelves at a Mid-Ohio Market, cooking at the Mid-Ohio Kitchen or sorting and packing donations at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. You can sign up to volunteer here.
Advocate: MOFC wants your help to tackle the systemic challenges that contribute to food insecurity. You can learn more about getting involved here, or stop by at events at Land-Grant Brewing Co. (Sept. 17) and Wolf’s Ridge Brewing (Sept. 24) to talk about it person. You can see a full list of their events here.
You can read more about MOFC and their local in this 16-page booklet that appear in the September issue of (614) Magazine.
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