January 13, 2024

Weekly Update

Statistics

Drive-Thru Households Served

39 on Tuesday, January 2
64 on Thursday, January 4
77 on Tuesday, January 9
76 on Thursday, January 11

Pop-Up Households Served

40 on Wednesday, January 3
40 on Wednesday, January 10

Click below for the complete list of statistics for December 2023.

Click for Monthly Stats

January 15

On Monday, we are closed in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Click here for a complete list of Heart to Heart’s 2024 closings.

Volunteers Needed

Monday, January 15

Closed for MLK Day

Tuesday, January 16

8:30 am- 10:30 am Drive-Thru (5)
10:00 am- 12:30 pm Drive-Thru (5)

Wednesday, January 17

1:00 pm- 2:00 pm MOFB Shop-Thru (1)

Thursday, January 18

8:30 am- 10:30 am Drive Thru (3)
10:00 am- 12:30 pm Drive-Thru (2)

Friday, January 19

9:30 am- 10:30 am Cold Stocking Shift (2)

News

Hair Care Drive

This Sunday, January 14, Heart to Heart volunteers will take donations during all worship services. While we will accept any donations, this month we focus on hair care items for all types of hair. Essential items such as shampoo, conditioner, and styling products are not only taxed, but not covered by SNAP benefits. These items are often cost-prohibitive, making them coveted in the drive-thru. Please consider making a donation of hair care products when you attend worship services this Sunday.

Monthly Collections During Worship

Heart to Heart food pantry will hold a once-a-month donation collection during Sunday worship services to promote material contributions for those attending First Community for worship. If you are attending services at North, please look for the donation station sign in the parking lot and drop off your donations before you come inside! If you’re attending services at South, please look for the donation cart at Crane welcome center, where you can drop off your donation with our volunteer. While we will advertise and encourage specific donations on a theme, we continue to accept all our typical donations! Click the image to download a printable PDF (or grab a flyer at either church campus) to hang on your fridge! We hope these fun themes will encourage donation participation.

What To Get and Where

Not all hair is the same! It’s important to know that different hair textures require different products, more than just shampoo and conditioner. I recently found this great resource online Tutus and Tennis Shoes. Author and trained Cosmetology Instructor, Kanisha, provides guidance to families for families of transracial adoption to as they learn to care for their children’s hair. I encourage you to explore the site if for no other reason than to see all there is to learn.

This weekend, when choosing products to donate to our hair care drive, keep in mind Kanisha’s mission. Consider making a donation of hair care products you may not need yourself, like curl crème and hair masks. Of course, we will gladly accept your average shampoo and conditioner too!

For your convenience, we have included ads from major retailers with pertinent items currently on sale. Click the image to browse through the Facebook post for more info.

Donations Needed

Bring these items with you to worship this weekend, or click here for donation hours and instructions.

Social Media This Week

Here’s what you may have missed this week! To see regular updates, follow us on

Instagram @heart_to_heart_food_pantry
Facebook @hearttoheartpantry

Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Dinner

All Heart to Heart volunteers past and present are invited to attend this dinner. Heart to Heart staff members will show their appreciation to hardworking volunteers that make our ministry possible. Awards will be presented to outstanding volunteers, and we will hear short remarks from the staff. This is an opportunity for fellowship among all our volunteers. Please RSVP by January 26 so that we may plan the event accordingly.

Click here to RSVP

PUPdate

In December, the Pop-Up Pantry delivered to the following sites:

December 6: Commons at Livingston – 39
December 13: Hope Resource Center – 43
December 20: Southpoint – 40
December 21: Riverview – 40
December 27: Grant – 36

Pop Up 2023 Monthly totals:

January: 153
February: 161
March: 190
April: 171
May: 226
June: 190
July: 188
August: 237
September: 215
October: 181
November: 254
December: 198

Totals for 2023 per site:

Livingston: 400
Hope: 608
Southpoint: 475
Grant: 338
Riverview International Center: 358
Southpark: 185

YTD: Individuals/families served: 2,364

Click the image below to read the full December 2023 PUPdate.

New Year Reminders

Inclement Weather Plan

Since Heart to Heart food pantry is an essential service for many, we will make every attempt to remain open during regular business hours if it is deemed safe to do so. Conversely, if we do not have appropriate volunteer staffing, we may have to close even when the offices remain open. In the event we are closed, we will make note on our outgoing voicemail, on our Facebook/Instagram page and on our webpage. Volunteers for the day will be notified by email as soon as a decision to close has been made.

Volunteer Covenant

We agree to foster a welcoming culture of kindness and respect that upholds the worth and dignity of every person, striving to listen with empathy, and use teamwork to carry out the mission and vision of Heart to Heart.

Mission & Vision

The mission of Heart to Heart is to respond to God’s commandment to love one another.

The vision of Heart to Heart is to model God’s love by:

Cultivating a loving community
Honoring individual gifts
Feeding bodies and souls

…and seeing everyone as a child of God.

Special Skills

We understand not everyone can or wants to volunteer during our regular weekly shifts, but may still want to contribute to our overall success. Heart to Heart is on the lookout for a few volunteers with specialized skills to help with projects from time to time. Please let us know if you have a particular interest or are skilled in:

Woodworking, DIY, Building
Social Media
Community Advocacy
Elementary Education
One time assembly projects (eg. birthday bags)

While we may not have a related project in mind at the moment, these are some needs we have encountered over time and we would love to know who might be interested in helping with these things in the future. Have another skill or interest you think may be useful? Let us know!

Volunteer Training Opportunities

Mid-Ohio Food Collective Trainings

The Mid-Ohio Food Collective offers regular training opportunities for food pantry staff and volunteers. Trainings on FreshTrak and Food Safety will help you learn more about pantry operations and make you an even more effective volunteer! They also occasionally offer training on advocacy, and other topics that may be of interest to you.

For most trainings, volunteers will need to register with an agency name and number: Heart to Heart Agency #1042

Advocacy 101

Join the Conversation

MOFC’s Government Relations Team- Tim White and Hallie Carrino-Lee will host an open forum to discuss the State Budget and its effects on essential programs and benefits for your customers.

Explore ways to push back and advocate against the continued assault on SNAP and othe Hinger/Feeding issues and what’s happening on Capitol Hill.

Bring your questions and prepare to engage! Registration is required. This session of Advocacy will be held via ZOOM.

Thu, Feb 22 at 10 am

MOFC Food Safety Training

Level 1 Person In Charge

This training was developed by Feeding America and ServSafe for those who partner with foodbanks and is relevant to the work you are doing in your communities.

The course is online, at no-cost to your agency and once taken and successfully passed, the certification never expires for the person who takes the training!

Questions? Contact Ann Miller-Tobin at amillertobin@mofc.org

The following dates and times are available:

Mon, Feb 5, 10 am to 12 pm

Healthcare Navigation

Embarking with MOFC

Join us for an enlightening information session on Get Covered Ohio, hosted by the Mid-Ohio Food Collective’s Healthcare Navigation Team.

With the combined efforts of eight local and regional organizations providing Navigator services, learn how MOFC is connecting Ohioans with free information and assistance on health insurance. This 90-minute session promises valuable insights into exploring, enrolling, and optimizing health coverage options in your communities. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to empower your customers, partners, and yourself – mark your calendar and be prepared to join us online, over Zoom!

Questions? Contact Nicole DeLozier at 614-230-9166 or ndelozier@mofc.org

Wed, Jan 24 at 9:30 am

FreshTrak Basic Training

(FKA PantryTrak)

This online via zoom workshop will provide the fundamentals to get started with FreshTrak at your agency. Participants with learn how to administer the intake process using FreshTrak and will be guided on best practices for developing an efficient process in registering your clients. For agencies already using FreshTrak, this workshop will be helpful as a refresher of the basics.