( CNN ) -- Cheryl Bradshaw shivered under a big brown coat as she made her way through a line of people waiting along an icy road in Wilmington , Ohio . She was among about 5,000 residents who accepted food from the nonprofit Feed the Children . The nonprofit Feed the Children delivers boxes of food and other items to families Thursday in Wilmington , Ohio . `` A lot of this people in this town ... it 's day to day , dollar to dollar , '' Bradshaw said of the town of about 12,000 between Cincinnati and Columbus . Wilmington is still reeling from news that delivery giant DHL would close its hub there . About 3,000 of the 8,000 people who faced layoffs lived in or around Wilmington . One in three families in Wilmington had someone employed at DHL , according to an economic task force created by Mayor David Raizk . A crowd gathered Thursday as 12 loaded semitrailers cautiously parked on slippery roads . Each family got two boxes . One had 25 pounds of canned food and vegetables . Another contained 10 pounds of personal care items . Watch as townspeople describe tough times » . Bradshaw said she appreciated the help . She got laid off in December from ABX Air , a Wilmington-based air cargo services company that worked with DHL . `` We are raising two grandkids , and we only have one income , so it 's a big , big blessing , '' she said . Tony Sellars , the nonprofit 's director of communications , said , `` This is the largest distribution we have had in such a small town . '' Sellars said the organization is monitoring layoff conditions in various cities and identifying critical locations where it can be of assistance . `` We have been around since 1979 , and this is unprecedented in terms of need , '' Sellars said . `` In Wilmington , the residents are proud and confused ; they are resilient and trying to solve their problems on their own , but they do n't know where to turn . '' Feed the Children distributed the food and other items in conjunction with partners that include Avon Products and the local Sugartree Ministry Center . Larry Jones , founder and president of Feed the Children , urged communities to reach out to one another . `` If we are going to solve the problem , it 's not going to be the government ; it 's going to be churches and charities and colleges , literally everyone working together , '' Jones said . `` We are not the total answer , but we are part of the answer , and hopefully when people see us doing what we are doing , they will join in to help . '' Ohio is facing one of the highest jobless rates in the country -- 7.8 percent in December . The nation 's unemployment rate is 7.6 percent . DHL 's decision to close its hub in Wilmington has had a ripple effect . Sharon Testa , 48 , who owns the Mediterranean Restaurant in downtown , has lived in Wilmington for 20 years . `` Our business opened two years ago because we had a lot of international people coming in to work for DHL or companies affiliated with them , '' Testa said . `` Everyone is concerned . We do n't want our city to shrivel up ; people who still have jobs are trying to come in to keep the business running . '' Helen Keech , 50 , who works at the Arby 's near where DHL was located , said that the restaurant used to open early for the DHL employees . She said there were many businesses in that building , including ABX and DHL , and now that there are less employees , things will change . `` It 's gon na be a ghost town I can tell you that , '' Keech said . CNN 's Amy Sahba contributed to this report .
Closing of delivery giant DHL leaves Ohio town of Wilmington reeling . About 5,000 in town of 12,000 accept food from nonprofit Feed the Children . Official : `` This is the largest distribution we have had in such a small town '' Resident says she fears loss of jobs will turn Wilmington into a `` ghost town ''