January 9, 2021

Households served in the drive-thru daily

• 38 on Tuesday, January 5
• 10 on Wednesday, January 6
• 25 on Thursday, January 7

Households served via Pop-Up Pantry

• 40 on Wednesday, January 6

Sign up to volunteer! Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work.

We have a large truck delivery on Monday, January 11 and will need a large team of people to unload it! We could also use a volunteer to drive the box truck for the pick up from Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Please sign up online.

We are asking all volunteers to review our COVID-19 Policy. Please do not come in if you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, and please give us as much notice as possible.

You can delete your name from SignUp Genius or email hearttoheart@FCchurch.com to let us know.

The Prayer Chain is a group of active church members who devote time each day to pray for those who request prayer. All prayers are held with confidentiality. Prayer requests can include as much or as little information as you wish. These prayers are held in confidence and unpublished unless requested to be shared with the pastoral care staff by the one submitting the prayer. You may also contact Robin Hood at (614) 488-0681 ext. 235. Blessings to you.

Happy New Year!

In December, our Pop-Up Pantry team delivered food directly to clients and their families at the following agency sites:

• December 2:   Southpoint Village Apartments-38 clients
• December 9:   Hope Recovery Services-25 clients
• December 16: Commons at Grant-25 clients

Since its start in July 2020, the Pop-Up Pantry served 748 clients and families. Totals served by month include:

•      December   88
•      November  144
•      October      151
•      September 144
•      August        123
•      July              98

This month we provided food to a new agency site, Hope Recovery Services. Hope is a new grassroots organization in the Hilltop area that serves as an outreach resource center to assist clients recovering from addiction.  The agency Director expressed much gratitude for our efforts and the opportunity for their clients to receive this food.

Our team had a productive meeting with Heart to Heart staff in December to discuss plans for expansion of the Pop-Up Pantry’s outreach initiative.  While a framework for expansion was outlined during the meeting, we recommended waiting until a later date to implement any expansion due to the current pandemic surge.

Our dedicated Pop-Up Pantry team has done an outstanding job throughout the year in planning and implementing this outreach initiative for Heart to Heart. We are grateful for their dedication and teamwork.  We look forward to the new year and the opportunity to further Heart to Heart’s ministry in helping to meet the needs of clients with food insecurity within the Columbus community.

Hats and face masks are available for all Heart to Heart volunteers!

P.S. Canine volunteers will be able to show their support shortly!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 16 at 7 pm to join us live online for an All-Volunteer Meeting. A link to join the meeting will be provided via email prior to the start time.

Everyone is encouraged to get a flu shot, especially Heart to Heart volunteers. Please click the button below to find a location to receive it.

Food Safety 101

Person In Charge/Food Handlers training is now available virtually and is as good as in-person. You will be able to see, hear, and talk to the instructor. Have all your questions answered in real face-time! All agencies are required to be certified once every 3 years. Now is a good time to check and see if your certification is up to date, or will it need to be renewed sometime this year? Virtual Food Safety is a terrific option especially during this time when we are not hosting in-person training’s through the Agency 360 program due to Stay At Home conditions and Social Distancing.

We have teamed up with the OSU Extension office of Belmont County who previously has hosted Food Safety classes for our eastern agencies. With virtual training, all partners who require Food Safety 101, in all counties are able to participate.

Once you have registered you will be sent the link for the Zoom meeting approximately 48 hours prior to the training session. Please make sure you register with your name, email address, and phone number as well as your Agency Name and ID Number (Heart to Heart #1042).

At this time there is no registration fee to attend – FREE! Space is limited. No more than 35 individuals may register. Click below to Register for Food Safety Register now for Wednesday, January 27, 1 pm to 3 pm.

Pantry Trak

This workshop will provide the fundamentals to get started with Pantry Trak at your agency. Participants will learn how to administer the intake process using Pantry Trak and will be guided on best practices for developing an efficient process in registering your clients.

For agencies already using Pantry Trak, this workshop will be helpful as a refresher of the basics. Each session will be led by Tammy Tucker, Agency Relations Manager – Agency Services, Mid-Ohio Food Collective. Training will be held virtually via ZOOM. Please use the link below to register for either date. Please choose only one session.

Once you have registered you will be sent the link for the Zoom meeting approximately 48 hours prior to the training session. Please make sure you register with your name, email address, and phone number as well as your Agency Name and ID Number (Heart to Heart #1042).

At this time there is no registration fee to attend – FREE! Space is limited. No more than 35 individuals may register. Click below to register for one of two sessions:

• • Thursday, January 14, 4 pm to 5:30 pm
  • Monday, January 25, 9:30 am to 11 am