As residents of Buckeye Towers continue to cope with the ongoing elevator outage that’s left many elderly and disabled tenants effectively trapped in their apartments, one resident says she’s been trying to help her neighbors in the most practical way she can: by organizing a grassroots food giveaway for those who can’t reach the store or whose SNAP benefits have been delayed.
But she says her efforts hit a wall — not because of lack of donations, but because building management refused to let her post flyers to let her neighbors know help was available.
“Please Help Me Help Them”
In an emotional online post, the resident described her plan to use a $400 Walmart order, funded through community donations and support from the Buckeye Council, to provide essentials that local food pantries often can’t supply.
“This is for my residence at Buckeye Towers,” she wrote.
“I need trustworthy people to pick up, deliver, and sort the food and make sure those in need get these items. I was able to get things people said they couldn’t get at pantries—canned meat, eggs, butter, salt, toiletries.”
She added that while she couldn’t afford some extras like coffee, sugar, and flour, she hoped donations would continue so she could “do the best I can” for her neighbors.
“I worked for hours last night trying to do the best I can. It’s a big order, but it still isn’t enough for those who will have no food stamps and no way of getting food this month. Please, I’m asking for people that can help me out today. I won’t be able to come downstairs.”
Blocked from Spreading the Word
Despite her good intentions, the resident says the building’s manager refused to allow her to post flyers about the food distribution.
“My manager will not approve passing a flyer to notify people of the food delivery today,” she wrote.
“She says if I don’t have enough for all apartments, then it can’t be done. I informed her it wasn’t a HUD rule. She said it was her rule.”
The resident emphasized that she wasn’t trying to stir conflict or break any regulations, but simply wanted to make sure those who needed food most—especially residents stuck on upper floors due to the elevator outage—knew that help was available.
“Please don’t go after the manager,” she wrote. “Just leave it up to God. If a few feel led to help me today, please make it happen.”
Crisis Within a Crisis
The situation highlights a growing humanitarian strain at Buckeye Towers, where residents have now gone more than two weeks without working elevators. For many, that means being cut off from grocery stores, pharmacies, and food pantries, even as federal SNAP benefits have been delayed for some Ohio recipients this month.
At the same time, management’s refusal to allow flyers raises questions about how residents can communicate or coordinate mutual aid efforts within federally subsidized housing when emergencies strike.
HUD’s general policy encourages “resident participation” and the formation of tenant councils, but leaves communication rules to local property management. Without flexibility, well-meaning residents can find themselves blocked from helping one another during times of real need.
The Bigger Picture
Across the country, aging public housing complexes—many built for seniors and people with disabilities—are showing the strain of decades of underfunding. The ongoing elevator repair crisis at Buckeye Towers isn’t unique: housing authorities nationwide report shortages of parts and technicians, leaving buildings inaccessible for weeks or months.
Layer in economic hardship and food insecurity, and these malfunctions become more than a mechanical problem—they become a community survival issue.
A Community Trying to Fill the Gaps
For now, residents and volunteers continue to do what they can. Firefighters help carry groceries upstairs. Neighbors share meals and supplies. Churches and civic groups pitch in where government agencies cannot move fast enough.
But as the resident who organized the food drive put it:
“This is a nightmare that does not have to happen. I’m trying my best, and God knows I’m fair to everybody around here.”
