My Neighborhood: Hilliard Food Pantry’s Erin West Loves the City’s Sense of Community
West, a Hilliard resident, also appreciates amenities such as the Heritage Rail Trail, city parks and the support the pantry received after a fire.
Hilliard has a thriving downtown filled with indoor and outdoor attractions. “I love the approach to planning, how they’re creating spaces for people to gather and enjoy the outdoors,” says Erin West, executive director of Hilliard Food Pantry Plus and a resident of the West Side suburb.
Cycle City
“My family, we love to go on bike rides,” says West, adding their favorite route is the 7-mile Heritage Trail that starts in downtown Hilliard and extends north.
The Mighty Quinn
For West and her family—children Quinn, 26, Alea, 24, Kye, 21, and boyfriend Wil Baker—another favorite outdoor activity is disc golf at the 130-acre Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park. “Quinn is the best, hands down,” West says.
Food Options Galore
Hilliard’s Station Park is filled with splash fountains, indoor and outdoor dining options, and an amphitheater. “It’s right in the middle of downtown, and we love being outside in the summer, and in the winter there are fires you can sit around,” West says. Some of her favorites are the tea at Coffee Connections and the ciders at Crooked Can Brewing Co. “Especially the apple pie cider,” she says.
Farm Living
West is a regular at Kuhlwein’s Farm Market & Deli. “It’s in the middle of farmland and is a real farmer’s market,” she says. “They have a deli; I’m a ham girl, and I love the provolone … and you can pick pumpkins in the fall.”
Plenty of Purses
The food pantry’s facility was destroyed by a fire in July and is temporarily housed in a space provided by Hilliard United Methodist Church. “The generosity and compassion of the community after the fire has been amazing,” West says, adding a new facility is under construction. The pantry’s annual Designer Purse Bingo fundraiser draws hundreds of people and raised $30,000 in 2023.
Tie-Dyeing to Help
Dyenomite Apparel is one of the largest manufacturers of wholesale tie-dye clothing, and the Hilliard company provides free storage space for the pantry. “They have a great retail store that not too many people know about, and you can get really cool things for great prices,” West says.
This story is from the April 2024 issue of Columbus Monthly.