July in Review
Site Breakdown
- 41 at Commons at Livingston July 2
- 40 at Hope Resource Center July 9
- 49 at Commons at Southpoint July 16
- 34 at Commons at Grant July 23
- 37 at Riverview International Center July 25
- 45 at Hope Resource Center July 30
Client Statistics
- 246 Visits
- 81 Seniors
- 326 Adults
- 180 Children
- 587 Individuals
- 72 new families
Highlights
Our monthly brunches offer a chance to socialize and reconnect, and many of our 27 regular volunteers make it a point to attend. At our last meeting, Melody relayed that a client friend at the Hope Center proudly shared with her that his original music is available on You Tube and Spotify! On a less positive note, she also noted that the number of unhoused clients at Hope has been increasing. Amy, a new volunteer this year, shared that volunteering at Heart to Heart has been a blessing to her family. She noted her teenage son’s enthusiasm about his work with the pantry.
A client friend at South Park apartments in South Franklinton was featured in an article by the Columbus Dispatch on July 17.
Looking Ahead
Last month, we mentioned our June 20 visit to South Park, the first one back this year. In the last couple of years during the summer, we have delivered non-perishables there as partners with Franklinton Farms, an organization that provided fresh produce. This year, Franklinton Farms did not have enough resources to provide that service. However, we found out that Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein’s office was coordinating several organizations that would provide goods and services, food, and activities to South Park at a Resource Fair on Friday, June 20. We appreciated that opportunity to be at the site with other organizations, as South Park is a neighborhood that has had a lot of violence. The result was a successful participation in a community event. Klein’s office is coordinating another Resource Fair at Lakeshore Apartments, near the old Eastland Mall, on August 15. The PUP looks forward to participating in that Resource Fair as well.
Heart to Heart is collecting school supplies and backpacks from July 27 to August 10, for one of the PUP sites, Riverview International Center. Melody will deliver these later that same week, as Columbus schools begin the 2025-26 year on August 25. Click here for details on the drive.
Rose, Melody, Mark, and newcomer, Henry at Southpoint in July.
Rose says, “we rocked it on a humid day!” While temps only reached 79 degrees, the 90% humidity definitely made it feel hotter.
In the June 28 Weekly Roundup you may have read that access to fresh food, including produce, has been suspended for all MOFC’s partner agencies, including Heart to Heart. This is the shelf where produce is usually waiting for PUP to pack and deliver to clients. Sadly, it has been bare for weeks. The result is that we have not been able to take produce to any of our sites over a month!