March 2020

Tom Norman

Click above to see the full video and view the entire story about Heart to Heart from NBC Channel 4.

Volunteers John and Sarah Oberlin and Kitty Rohrer serving clients though our drive in system.

Pictured here are Kitty Rohrer and John Oberlin taking care of our clients.

Stuck at home with nothing to do? Read this article for some ideas.

Announcements

Amid the ever-changing news regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, we have established a page on the website where you will find regular updates as they are announced. A link to this page will be on the left side of the menu permanently. We will continue to post these announcements on social media and via email, as well.

Five things you can do to help us at Heart to Heart:

1. Volunteer with us! Click the link below to sign up. If you aren’t able to volunteer physically maybe you can write encouraging cards.

2. Give funds. Please click button below to contribute directly to Heart to Heart. For every $1 we spend at Mid-Ohio Food Collective we can get $10 worth of groceries for distribution to our clients.

3. Take care of yourself. Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup! Stay informed with accurate information on the Ohio Department of Health website here. If you have questions regarding Coronavirus/COVID-19 please call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634)

4. Contribute food at 1944 W. First Ave in our bin outside the door. Please note:

• We are NOT accepting any food BEYOND the expiration date or BEYOND best used by date. The best times to donate food to our bin are Monday 9-10 am and Wednesday 3-4 pm.
• Due to possible exposure of COVID-19 through the usage of used plastic, paper, and reusable cloth, we are NO LONGER accepting any bag donations.

5. Pray for our world, country, community, and our families. If there was ever a time to pray, the time is now.

If you have any questions about Heart to Heart at this time, please call 614-488-0681 ext. 203

Hello Dedicated Volunteers,

I know some of you are worried during this time if you should commit more time to Heart to Heart physically or not. I want you to know that I understand completely if you are unable to volunteer during this time of Social Distancing. There will be no hard feelings if you need to take a step back and be close to family.

Lamar Graham
Heart to Heart Director

Announcements

Amid the ever-changing news regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, we have established a page on the website where you will find regular updates as they are announced. A link to this page will be on the left side of the menu permanently. When we have a new announcment it will appear highlighted in red to alert you to read more. We will continue to post these announcements on social media and via email, as well. Read the latest announcement from Director, Lamar Graham.

Tom Norman

In the month of February, we served

• 337 Households
• 201 Seniors
• 601 Adults
• 434 Children
• 1,236 Individuals

Click here for the full list of statistics from last month.

The spotlight is on Bob Argo for March. Click here to read the post.

This week was a busy yet productive one as we rolled out our new “Drive-Thru” system. We served 155 households! Normally, we serve between 100-160 households in a week. Thank you for all of your hard work and contributions. Please enjoy photos from this past week and stay tuned for more information in preparation for this coming week.

Preparations of pre-packaged groceries.

New drive-thru service in action.

Mental Health Resources

While we don’t like to think about it, with increased stress comes things like increased depression, increased domestic violence, and increased suicide. Please make sure you have the following numbers available to give people if they need them or if you feel you might need them yourself. Know there is always help, there are people to listen, and you are worth any effort. You matter to God and you certainly matter to us.

• NetCare Crisis Hotline (Mental Health Emergencies) 614- 276-2273
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline- 1-800-273-TALK
• If you are quarantined with an abuser, or someone you know is isolated in a dangerous home situation, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.

Additional Resources

Mid-Ohio Foodbank Updates and Resources

As we served this week we seen many people step up in a huge way! Many volunteers came to help us out on what was our first rodeo of our “Drive-Thru” system. We saw many people who were doing their morning run and/or walk stop to tell us thank you for continuing to serve our clients. Our clients were also super appreciative, telling us repeatedly, “Thank you for being here”.

As prepare for this coming week we at Heart to Heart would like to say to you, our wonderful volunteers and stakeholders: Thank you for being here. All of your support makes it possible for us to give our clients high-quality service.

We have received several inquiries about how folks can best help out during this uncertain time. These are some things you can do:

1. Give of your time volunteer with us! Click the link below to sign up. If you aren’t able to volunteer physically maybe you can write encouraging cards. We have lots of students who helps us with this throughout the year. Often our youth will write and/or draw fun, simple, cool, and witty ways to encourage our clients.
2. Give funds. Please see this link below to contribute directly to Heart to Heart. For every $1 we spend at MidOhio Foodbank we can get $10 worth of groceries for distribution to our clients.
3. Take care of yourself. Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup! Stay informed with accurate information on the Ohio Department of Health website here. If you have questions regarding Coronavirus/COVID-19 please call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634)
4. Lastly, pray. Pray for our world, country, community, and our families. If there was ever a time to pray, the time is now.

Thank you for your support as we get through this challenging time together.

For now, we plan to remain in our altered state of operation unless we are ordered to close our doors. In that event, we will inform the public via our website and social media platforms.

Cookie Donation

Kristin Unalan of Girl Scout Troop 1444 donated 107 boxes of cookies on Wednesday. This troop of third-graders are from Barrington Elementary in Upper Arlington.

Friends and family of Mary Garvin

Baby Quilts

This is photo of the Veda Hendricks family was taken at the pantry on Thursday. Christian is 4 months old and received baby quilt from the quiliting group today. They were so grateful.

Voter Registration

Pictured here are Deb Linville and Sally Kriska getting clients registered to vote on March 17.  Not only were they helping new voters register, but they assisted with change of address forms and checked polling locations for several clients. In just two weeks, they were able to help 34 clients.

Staying Healthy

We encourage everyone to review these basic tips for the prevention of illness:

• Wash your hands frequently—with soap and water and for at least 20 seconds.
• Sneeze or cough into the crook of your elbow or a tissue, not your hand.
• Wash immediately after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
• Feel free to “bump elbows” or bow to one another, rather than hugging or shaking hands.
• Avoid touching your face, especially your mouth, nose and eyes, with
  unwashed hands.
• Regularly disinfect surfaces frequently touched including keyboards, desktops, elevator buttons and door knobs.
• Use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid close contact with someone who is sick.
• Stay home if you are sick!

Prevention at the Pantry

At Heart to Heart we are doing our part to prevent the spread of viruses. At the end of every day, volunteers wipe handles, chairs, light-switches, keyboard/mouse, etc. with alcohol-based sanitizing wipes.  We have also provided alcohol-based hand sanitizer in each of the rooms we regularly use.

We are asking and encouraging all volunteers who have a fever or feel ill to stay home. You should remain isolated at home until you are symptom/fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication.

Donation Request

We would love to be able to send each client away with a dispenser of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Please drop off these contributions at the donation stations at both church locations, or inside the annex building.

Mid-Ohio Foodbank Order

Click here to see the order we anticipate next week!

Thank you

Thank you to all our volunteers, donors, and community partners for their support of our mission.