Weekly Update
Statistics
Drive-Thru Households Served
- 62 on Tuesday, January 23
- 59 on Thursday, January 25
Pop-Up Households Served
- 36 on Wednesday, January 24
December 2023 Stats
- Households Served 583
- Families Served by Drive-Thru Pantry 385
- Families Served by Pop-Up Pantry 198
- Individuals Served 2,005
- Seniors Served 252
- Adults Served 1,021
- Children Served 732
- Meals Served 18,045
Click here to read more. Year-end reports will be available soon!
Volunteers Needed
Monday, January 29
- 8:30 am-9:30 am Cold Stocking (2)
Tuesday, January 30
- 8:30 am- 10:30 am Drive-Thru (5)
- 10:00 am- 12:30 pm Drive-Thru (6)
Wednesday, January 31
- 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm MOFB Shop-Thru (1)
Thursday, February 1
- 7:30 am- 9:00 am MOFB Shop-Thru (1)
- 8:30 am- 10:30 am Drive Thru (6)
- 10:00 am- 12:30 pm Drive-Thru (5)
Friday, February 2
- 9:00 am- 10:00 am Direct Retail Pickups (2)
- 9:30 am- 10:30 am Cold Stocking Shift (1)
News
It’s NOT too late to RSVP!
All Heart to Heart volunteers past and present are invited to attend the Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Dinner.
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. The event is not formal!
SOUPerbowl Sunday February 11
Heart to Heart is holding a soup drive during all worship services Sunday! Look for the volunteer quarterbacks at collection sites outside at both locations to drop off your donations of shelf-stable soup. We especially appreciate donations of hearty soups that serve as a whole meal, such as: beef vegetable, chicken and rice, Italian wedding, etc. For a $5 donation (cash or check), you can become the proud owner of a one-of-a-kind soup bowl or mug decorated by students at First Community Church in the Midweek Mission (K-8) and Crossroads (8-12) programs.
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
PUP Calendar
Click below to view the Pop-Up Pantry’s service calendar for February 2024.
2024 Holiday & Closings Calendar
A revised calendar has been uploaded. Our next closing is Monday, February 19 for President’s Day. Click the image below to enlarge.
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
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
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
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.
Questions? Contact Ann Miller-Tobin at amillertobin@mofc.org
The following dates and times are available:
- Tue, Feb 20 at 2 pm
- Thu, Mar 21 at 10 am
New Year Reminders
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.
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.
Tips & Tricks
Heart to Heart staff have implemented guidelines, processes and measures to ensure the safety of our workers, proper use of equipment, and best functionality. It is imperative to our operations for volunteers to adhere to these guidelines.
For instance, volunteers should avoid overloading shelves when stocking food. Each shelving unit can only hold a limited weight, distributed across the individual shelves. The weight limits differ by size and type of shelf. For guidance, please ask Yohan when stocking.
When items are misused causing damage, the pantry has to pay for the replacement. Every dollar spent on equipment is one dollar less that we are able to spend on food to feed our clients. Please keep this in mind when you are volunteering.
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!
Inclement Weather Plan
Winter is in full swing with extremely low temperatures and snowfall in the forecast. Now is the perfect time to review our inclement weather procedure.
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 and Instagram pages and on our webpage. Volunteers for the day will be notified by email as soon as a decision to close has been made. In other words: no news is good news!
We understand when volunteers don’t feel comfortable being outside or driving on roads in severe weather. Please let us know if you cannot make it to volunteer for your shift! If there are 24 hours or less before your shift, please email Yohan Kim to let us know.