Households served via Pop-Up Pantry

• 34 on Wednesday, January 20

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 These prayers are held in confidence and unpublished unless requested to be shared with the pastoral care staff by the one submitting the prayer.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.

Sign up to volunteer! Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work. Please sign up online. We still need help during these shifts:

• Monday, 12:00 – 3:00 pm!
• Tuesday, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
• Wednesday, 9 am – 10:30 am
• Friday, 10 am – 11:30 am

… plus several direct retail pickups throughout the week! Additionally, the February schedule is posted on Sign Up Genius.

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.

Click to expand

Click to expand

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 Monday, January 25, 9:30 am to 11 am

Households served in the drive-thru daily

• 36 on Tuesday, January 12
• 17 on Wednesday, January 13
• 47 on Thursday, January 14

Households served via Pop-Up Pantry

• 40 on Wednesday, January 13

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.

Sign up to volunteer! Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work. Please sign up online. We still need help during these shifts:

• Tuesday, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
• Tuesday, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
• Wednesday, 9 am – 10:30 am
• Wednesday, 3 pm– 4:30 pm
• Thursday, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
• Thursday, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
• Friday, 10 am – 11:30 am

… plus several direct retail pickups throughout the week! Additionally, the February schedule is posted on Sign Up Genius.

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.

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 Monday, January 25, 9:30 am to 11 am

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

Households served in the drive-thru daily

• 134 on December 15
• 44 on December 16
• 75 on December 17

We will be back to work the first week of January! Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work. Sign up online if you can volunteer this week.

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 Sign Up Genius or email hearttoheart@FCchurch.com to let us know.

We are closed for the holiday.

• We will reopen for client services on Tuesday, January 5.
• Volunteer shifts begin again Monday, January 4.

We cannot accept material donations at this time.

Please hold these and plan to deliver them on or after Monday, January 4.

Gifts are available for all Heart to Heart volunteers. If you have not yet received a gift, please see Kate or Amy when we reopen in January!

Rev. Kate Shaner will host an All-Volunteer Meeting via Zoom on December 28 at 7 pm. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Kate will update us on the changes happening at Heart to Heart and share our vision for the future. We will review volunteer expectations and responsibilities. Most importantly, many of us will get to put faces with names just by being together.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 28 at 7 pm to join us live online. The meeting invitation is linked below.

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

Like so many other things in 2020, we are sad to cancel our LIVE nativity on December 19. We hope to reschedule the group for a Christmas in July event!

• 38 households served on Wednesday,
  December 2 by the Pop-Up Pantry
• 52 households served on Thursday, December 3
• 52 households served on Tuesday, December 8
• households served on Wednesday, December 9
• 77 households served on Thursday, December 10

We will need extra help this week! Tuesday afternoon we need volunteers to unload the truck. Friday we will be receiving donations again from 10 am to 4 pm and we will need extra volunteers to help. Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work. Sign up online if you can volunteer this week.

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 Sign Up Genius or email hearttoheart@FCchurch.com to let us know.

Rev. Kate Shaner will host an All-Volunteer Meeting via Zoom on December 15 at 7 pm. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Kate will update us on the changes happening at Heart to Heart and share our vision for the future. We will review volunteer expectations and responsibilities. Most importantly, many of us will get to put faces with names just by being together.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 15 at 7 pm to join us live online. The meeting invitation is linked below.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We so appreciate the generosity of everyone that contributed to our recent overwhelming donation drive.

If you have been south you will see our corridors and spaces full of food donations!  Due to the abundance of gifts, we are asking for volunteers and staff to park on the Cambridge west side, away from our building, to keep the parking lot open for those coming to receive food/supplies Tuesday.  Plus, families dropping off preschool children need to have access closest to our building to drop off on Cambridge.

The parking lot will be one way in and out off of Cambridge.  West First Ave egress will be closed.  There will be a large loop to pick up by tents and circle around to pick up in front of the Crane Center as they head back out to Cambridge. This will continue Thursday.

The parking lot will be open Wednesday, however, in order to prepare for the evening drive through, please plan on moving your vehicles before 4 pm. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Heart to Heart will be closed for Christmas from Saturday, December 19 through Sunday, January 3

• Thursday, December 17 is the last service day of 2020
• Friday, December 18 is the last volunteer day of 2020
• Monday, January 4 is the first volunteer day of 2021
• Tuesday, January 5 is the first service day of 2021

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

• 10 households served on Tuesday, December 1
• 21 households served on Wednesday, December 2
• 52 households served on Thursday, December 3

We have new shifts available! Tuesday and Thursday shifts have been shortened to better serve our new hours. Some slots have been reduced in order to comply with safety regulations. Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work. Sign up online if you can volunteer this week.

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 Sign Up Genius or email hearttoheart@FCchurch.com to let us know.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We so appreciate the generosity of everyone that contributed to our matching donation drive this year. Though we have reached our goal of earning $20,000 to be matched by our anonymous donor, you can make donations to Heart to Heart anytime. Just go to h2h.FCchurch.com/donate

In the period beginning August 1 and ending October 31, the 260 households participating in the Kroger Rewards Program earned $1178.75 for Heart to Heart.

Through this program, First Community Missions earns more than $6000 per year which is then given to support our own food pantry, Heart to Heart. Participants in the program can sign up and re-enroll online using the link below and the organization #TB926 (First Community Church)

Heart to Heart will be closed for Christmas from Saturday, December 19 through Sunday, January 3

• Thursday, December 17 is the last service day of 2020
• Friday, December 18 is the last volunteer day of 2020
• Monday, January 4 is the first volunteer day of 2021
• Tuesday, January 5 is the first service day of 2021

Rev. Kate Shaner will host an All-Volunteer Meeting via Zoom on December 15 at 7 pm. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Kate will update us on the changes happening at Heart to Heart and share our vision for the future. We will review volunteer expectations and responsibilities. Most importantly, many of us will get to put faces with names just by being together.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 15 at 7 pm to join us live online. The meeting invitation is linked below, and we will continue to share on the blog and on social media until then.

During November, our Pop Up Pantry team continued to deliver needed food directly to clients and their families in their local communities. Food was distributed at the following agency sites:

• November 4:  Southpoint Apartments-34 clients
• November 18:  Commons at Grant-30 clients
• November 23:  Wedgewood Middle School-40 clients
• November 25:  Commons at Livingston-40 clients

The number of clients and families served monthly since the Pop Up Pantry’s inception is:

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

This month one of our agency sites, The Commons at Buckingham, informed us that they were no longer able to accommodate our Pop Up Pantry due to their case manager taking on new responsibilities outside of Columbus.  As a result of this change, we did not deliver food on November 11 as planned.  In lieu of this cancellation and with the support of H2H’s leadership, we were able to add a new site for one-time food delivery to Wedgewood Elementary School on November 23.  We were grateful to be able to deliver food to the families of children who attend this school in time for Thanksgiving.

In December, we are providing food to a new agency site as part of our current weekly schedule.  Hope is a grassroots organization in the Hilltop area that serves as an outreach resource center to assist clients recovering from addiction by helping them navigate various roadblocks in moving ahead toward sobriety and greater independence.

Also in December, the Pop Up Pantry team is partnering with Wickliffe School in Upper Arlington to provide Christmas toys and gifts for children of families who reside at Southpoint Apartments, one of our supported housing agency sites.  Families have identified a “wish list” of gifts for their children and we have provided this list to Wickliffe as well as some of our Women’s Guild groups and other church members who’ve expressed an interest in helping.

To maintain safety during this time of rapid growth of COVID-19 infections, we have strongly encouraged online shopping for gifts and have made arrangements for a drive-through drop off of gifts to our team who will be delivering these to Southpoint.  In just a week’s time, almost 75% of the “wish list” of toys and gifts have been fulfilled.  We are grateful for the generosity of the students and their families at Wickliffe and our church family in providing the Southpoint families and their children with a much needed Christmas this year!

We are proud of the continued efforts and dedication of our Pop Up Pantry team in maintaining a safe working environment by bagging food outside, limiting our number of volunteers, maintaining physical distancing, wearing masks, and practicing hand hygiene.  We are also proud of the ability of our team to work together and problem-solve ways to make our bagging and delivery processes more efficient each week!

We look forward to our upcoming meeting with Heart to Heart’s leadership to discuss the expansion of the Pop Up Pantry’s outreach initiative.  We are blessed by the opportunity to further the ministry in helping to meet the needs of clients with food and financial insecurity within the Columbus community.

Like so many other things in 2020, we are sad to cancel our LIVE nativity on December 19. We hope to reschedule the group for a Christmas in July!

Food Safety 101

Person in Charge/Food Handlers training is now available virtually. 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 with 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:

• • Register Now for Thursday, January 14th 4:00pm to 5:30pm
  • Register Now for Monday, January 25th 9:30am to 11:00am

• 37 households served on Tuesday, November 10
• 5 households served on Wednesday, November 11
• 28 households served on Thursday, November 12
• 55 households served on Tuesday, November 17
• 40 households served on Thursday, November 19

Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain.

We have new shifts available! Until Thanksgiving, we will still staff volunteers for extended hours as our clients adjust to the new hours. Tuesday and Thursday shifts will be split into two parts 8:30 am-11 am and 11 am-1:30 pm. After Thanksgiving, we will shorten those shifts!

Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work. Sign up online if you can volunteer this week.

We have adjusted stocking shifts to spread out the work over several smaller shifts to accommodate safety needs. 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 Sign Up Genius or email hearttoheart@FCchurch.com to let us know.

Rev. Kate Shaner will host an All-Volunteer Meeting via Zoom on December 15 at 7 pm. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Kate will update us on the changes happening at Heart to Heart and share our vision for the future. We will review volunteer expectations and responsibilities. Most importantly, many of us will get to put faces with names just by being together.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 15 at 7 pm to join us live online. The meeting invitation is linked below, and we will continue to share on the blog and on social media until then.

We will be hosting a LIVE nativity on December 19 in the parking lot of First Community South! We are extending an exclusive invitation to the First Community staff and our Heart to Heart volunteers and their families to drive through the nativity from 1pm to 2pm. The nativity will remain open to everyone until 4pm. All visitors are asked to bring a donation of pet food for admission!

This Sunday, November 22, please join us online for virtual worship at FCchurch.com. After worship, we will hold a drive-through collection of donations from 12 to 1 pm in the parking lot of First Community South.  We will be set up to sell clearance Heart to Heart merchandise in the tents as well!

• We can no longer accept donations of used plastic grocery bags. Please do not bring them to the annex for donation.
• Do you know an organization that could regularly supply us with a donation of goods distribution? Perhaps your friend manages a pet store and would like to donate dog food. We would love to make a connection! We are especially interested in pet food, toilet paper, and diapers. Please contact us to make arrangements.
• If you would like to volunteer for Heart to Heart, but remain at home due to the pandemic, please contact us. We have a few jobs that could be done from the safety and comfort of your home, on the phone.
• Any handy people willing to help build a solid, smooth surface for the floor of the church van, please contact us.
• In response to COVID-19 recommendations, all van drivers will be required to follow cleaning and disinfecting routines going forward. These instructions will be posted inside the van.

Click here to read this week’s email from Rev. Kate Shaner.

• November 3, Tuesday: 24
• November 4, Wednesday: 34
• November 5, Thursday: 23

We have new shifts available! Until Thanksgiving, we will still staff volunteers for extended hours as our clients adjust to the new hours. Tuesday and Thursday shifts will be split into two parts 8:30 am-11:00 am and 11:00 am-1:30 pm. After Thanksgiving, we will shorten those shifts! Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work. Sign up online if you can volunteer this week.

Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain.

The Pop Up Pantry continues to serve clients by taking needed food directly to clients and their families in their local communities.  During October, food was distributed every Wednesday at the following agency sites:

• October 7:   Commons at Livingston-34 clients
• October 14:  Southpoint Apartments-37 clients
• October 21:  Commons at Grant-40 clients
• October 28:  Commons at Livingston-40 clients

Our number of clients and families served continued to increase in October:

•  October      151
•  September 144
•  August        123
•  July              98

Our Pop Up Pantry team continues to do an outstanding job of facilitating a safe working environment by bagging food outside, limiting our number of volunteers, maintaining physical distancing, masking, and hand hygiene.  We are fortunate to have the use of one of the church vans and a volunteer driver so that we can safely deliver our food to the designated site after bagging is completed. We’re thankful for the continued assistance of our Share and Learn Garden and for the support of H2H in providing fresh produce in addition to the dry food items served to our Pop Up Pantry clients. We’re also grateful to the Monday Meals for the Homeless team for sharing bread and dessert items for our clients.

With winter upon us and the rapid growth of COVID-19 infections, the food insecurity needs of families are continuing to increase along with health, safety, and economic concerns.  The Pop Up Pantry team is working to expand our outreach initiative to additional agencies within the Columbus community.  We continue to be blessed by the opportunity to serve others as God calls us to do.

We will be hosting a LIVE nativity on December 19 in the parking lot of First Community South! We are extending an exclusive invitation to the First Community staff and our Heart to Heart volunteers and their families to drive through the nativity from 2pm to 3pm. The nativity will remain open to everyone until 5pm. We will provide more information as it becomes available.

• We can no longer accept donations of used plastic grocery bags. Please do not bring them to the annex for donation.
• If you would like to volunteer for Heart to Heart, but remain at home due to the pandemic, please contact us. We have a few jobs that could be done from the safety and comfort of your home, on the phone.
• If you’re interested in helping us with our semi-regular monthly pickup from Penzey’s Spices, please contact us. We will put you in touch with their representative to make arrangements.
• Do you know an organization that could regularly supply us with a donation of goods distribution? Perhaps your friend manages a pet store and would like to donate dog food. We would love to make a connection! We are especially interested in pet food, toilet paper, and diapers. Please contact us to make arrangements.
• We are going to start logging incoming Direct Retail Pickups online. If you’re volunteering during the delivery of a donation from one of our retail partners, you may be asked to do record this. Help will be available on-site, and there will be printed instructions available. However, if you’re interested in learning how to use the program, please click through the slideshow below.

As part of our agreement with Mid-Ohio Food Collective, we must maintain certain standards. One of these is Civil Rights training for all of our volunteers. All volunteers will be required to complete this online training. There are three steps to this process.

1. Take the free online training course available here.
2. Complete the quiz at the end of the slideshow.
3. Use this online form to let us at Heart to Heart know you have completed your training, so we can verify with Mid-Ohio Food Collective. Please note you are not required to login as a First Community member to complete this step.

We are trying to streamline our communications at Heart to Heart. We want to make sure you’re getting all the information you want, and only the information you want. In order to better serve this goal, we have created and begun to use new email distribution lists. Please click below to sign up for the appropriate email list(s).

Dear Heart to Heart Volunteers,

We are grateful for your willingness to share your time at the Heart to Heart Food Pantry during this pandemic. The work we do is very important to the community and keeping it operational and safe are our utmost priorities at this time.

We want to remind you of the following:

Please do NOT come to volunteer at Heart to Heart if you have:

• symptoms of illness
• a fever or a cough
• been in contact with someone who has been ill or has a fever or cough
• have been in contact with someone who has tested positive COVID-19 in the last 30 days.

BEFORE you enter the church property (while you are still in your car), please do the following:

• Put on your face mask.
• Use hand sanitizer.

When on church property:

• Follow check-in procedures and take your temperature.
• Keep face mask on at all times.
• Observe social distancing.

If, at any time, you (or someone in your household) test positive for COVID-19, you must notify us immediately, as there are protocols and safety measures to complete if a person testing positive was on the property.

Thank you for all the work you do.

• October 27, Tuesday: 34
• October 28, Wednesday: 40
• October 29, Thursday: 34

We have new shifts available!

Until Thanksgiving, we will still staff volunteers for extended hours as our clients adjust to the new hours. Tuesday and Thursday shifts will be split into two parts 8:30 am-11:00 am and 11:00 am-1:30 pm. After Thanksgiving, we will shorten those shifts! Remember to dress appropriately for outdoor work. Sign up online if you can volunteer this week.

Volunteers and clients alike celebrated Halloween this week. Dressed in costume, volunteers included a bag of treats (no tricks!) for each client that visited.

As part of our agreement with Mid-Ohio Food Collective, we must maintain certain standards. One of these is Civil Rights training for all of our volunteers. All volunteers will be required to complete this online training. There are three steps to this process.

1. Take the free online training course available here.
2. Complete the quiz at the end of the slideshow.
3. Use this online form to let us at Heart to Heart know you have completed your training, so we can verify with Mid-Ohio Food Collective. Please note you are not required to login as a First Community member to complete this step.

Are you a volunteer interested in learning how to use PantryTrak from a representative at Mid-Ohio Food Collective?  Sign up to take the class online Wednesday, November 4th, 4:00 pm -5:30 pm.

Are you checking in daily when you arrive to volunteer? Everyone who comes to Heart to Heart to volunteer should be checking in at the volunteer stand in the hallway. You will need to take your temperature and log it with your name and contact information in the book provided. This requirement helps keep everyone safe.

If you volunteer to pick up donations and drop them off at Heart to Heart at any time during the week, you should have received an email from Amy Caskie on Friday. If you did not receive an email with information about an access code, please contact Amy immediately via email.

Volunteers receiving donations in the pantry will soon receive training on logging incoming donations online! This process will help us save time and paper by skipping the written record and manual logging altogether. You may have noticed we have new iPads at Heart to Heart, one dedicated entirely to this. If you’re interested in learning about it this week, touch base with Kate! A more formal training slideshow will be available soon.

Your social media presence can help Heart to Heart be more successful!

Do you follow us on Facebook and Instagram? If so, when you see a post that might apply to your friends or family, click to share it with your followers. Whether it’s an article on hunger or a plea for volunteers, your share means we reach more people with the information we are trying to share. You can encourage other folks to follow and share, as well!

Social media is usually the most efficient way for us to communicate because one post can reach such a large audience in a short time.

Facebook                                                  Instagram

Social media not your jam? Tell us how can we keep in touch!

We are trying to streamline our communications at Heart to Heart. We want to make sure you’re getting all the information you want, and only the information you want. In order to better serve this goal, we will be creating new email distributions lists and will implement their use beginning October 10. Please click below to sign up for the appropriate email list(s).