The giving of one’s extra time, money and energy is not a new concept in Columbus.

The United Way, The Stefanie Spielman Fund, Pelotonia, CD101 for the Kids and so many others are entrenched brands in the capital city, known outlets for Central Ohio’s benevolent spirit.

Call it Midwestern values if you like, but the way and the extent to which Columbus gives back goes beyond just everyday generosity. In a time of economic recession, some organizations, like the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, are finding themselves with more donations and volunteer help than ever before, and new avenues for helping out our fellow men and women are cropping up all the time.

With more than 600 official non-profits registered in Central Ohio, and countless other smaller charity drives and organizations, we knew that listing them all here would be an unrealistic task.

Instead, what we offer here are profiles of three Columbus residents of different professions, ages and backgrounds – a diverse glance at just a few of the threads in the city’s massive charitable fabric.

During this holiday season, let these three serve as inspiration. Whether it be their drive, their commitment, or their creativity in addressing the problems they see. Absorb the attitudes that pervade these stories and go give back some yourself.

By Travis Hoewischer

The two-story looking glass that is the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s foyer provides a stunning visual representation of the need facing the Central Ohio community. A far cry from the local food pantries with skids and boxes stacked up to cramped ceilings, the vast warehouse more closely resembles an airplane hangar.

The space has been the temporary home for more than 40 million pounds of food in 2011.

Dwarfed by the towering shelves, Matt Habash strolls among whirring forklifts, only able to muster a semi-sense of pride.

As impressive an operation as the MOFB has become in his 28 years at the helm as President & CEO, his goal was for the whole joint to be a distant memory.

“I tell people I’ve failed miserably,” he says, a slight smile finding his face. “When I first took the job in 1984, I wanted to go out of business – that was my goal. Then, we were giving out three million pounds of food annually; now, we’re giving out 43 million.”

Perhaps “failed” is a bit strong, considering that 10 million pounds of the food that has come through the facility, built in 2009, was fresh produce. Not only is the MOFB helping people to eat, they’re helping them to eat healthier, as well as serving as a national model and distribution partner for a massively overwrought state network of food banks.

As the general in charge of millions of pounds of food and thousands of volunteers, you’d think the former Columbus city councilman might be a tad overwhelmed. That’s not quite the case, however.

He says he’s still got work to do.

It takes a certain amount of dedication to fight hunger, especially since the situation has grown so dire in the last five years. Where does the spirit of giving start for you?

I get asked that question every once in a while, and you know, I give my parents all the credit for that. From a very early age they taught us to give back, and to get involved. Whether it was with my dad’s love of sports – he would coach Little League – or my mother volunteering at the church or cooking for our school, they always taught us to be like that. I also had the opportunity to work for John Maloney and Judy Stattmiller at St. Stephen’s Community House, two people who have really influenced me in a big way. During the six years I was there, I got to do a variety of things from youth work to setting up the food pantry and really got involved in the beginning of the Foodbank; we built up a pantry network, built a new building, so all these things were great training for me when I came into this work after. I really was impressed with how [John] connected the soup kitchen and the boardroom. He had the ability to walk into the inner city and the downtown. He was also an official and got me involved in local politics, which gave me a career for 14 years, as well. That really allowed me to take a chance when I was 27 years old, to become the CEO of this organization, which was tiny and relatively new. This is my 28th year here, and I enjoy it as much today as the day I started.

You’ve had your second-, third- and fourth -busiest months ever in your history leading up to this month. Can you offer an example of how much you’ve had to grow as an organization?

We had one yellow truck when we started; we now have 19, and we’re looking to get four more. We’ve grown from 30 million (pounds of food) to 43 million in just a few years. It’s that much more labor and intense work. The good news is that we’re finding a lot more meat. Now, I have a freezer that holds 50 tractor-trailers back there – that’s full. Every study we did said it would take seven years to fill it – it took seven months.

In what ways has that explosion of need helped re-shape your mission?

I’ve been doing this for 28 years, but I’ve never seen a situation as bad as it is right now. And it’s in the ’burbs – that’s the biggest change. There’s a pantry in Dublin, there’s three in Worthington. New Albany is talking about opening a second pantry; Pickerington, Reynoldsburg and Hilliard all just opened one. That’s where the huge explosions have happened. So I tell people now, “It’s ‘us’ and not ‘them.’ It’s your neighbors.” Part of the goal here is just to stabilize people.

What are some of the ways Central Ohio can move forward, in terms of providing more assistance?

I think we can continue to grow from within. We’ve got a phenomenal opportunity. We’ve got a university, we’ve got Battelle, we’ve got this research corridor that will help in a lot of ways, and we’ve got this entrepreneurial spirit that has manifested itself a lot over the years. We’re getting very creative in how we do things, a lot more collaborative. We can learn from some of the bigger charities in town and help some of the smaller charities at the same time. Obviously, we’re all competing for philanthropy dollars at times, but it’s a case where we can do that together.

What do you tell people when it comes to finding their passion for paying it forward in the community?

Pick something you care about, and find your passion. People come up and say, “Should I get involved in this or that charity?” To me, it’s “What rings your bell?” I think that’s really what makes this community special. The people, they try to connect, they try to be creative and it’s a larger community that can take risks, try things that can really help. There’s so many talented people in this community that can be creative, we just need to make sure we are connected to them and give them the opportunity by showing them how connected we are.

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank serves as a distribution hub for several smaller community pantries, but it seems to have a greater and more holistic purpose, as well.

We’re getting ready to offer a crockpot cooking class. We want to bring in people and teach them how to cook, or even have a community meal – just get people together to eat. An eating community is a big deal. And we forget that. We all go home and get in our little castles and shut the door. What if we just shared? You can build a sense of community just around food.

This holiday season, spread some cheer by making a donation to Mid-Ohio Foodbank on behalf of your friends, coworkers, and family with a Fight Hunger 2011 Holiday Ornament. For more info and other ways to donate food, money or to volunteer, visit www.midohiofoodbank.com.