Weekly Update

• Our condolences to Lynn Gutches Snowden on the passing of her husband, Hank, on June 19.
• Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain.

by Janice Rook

With food insecurity continuing to grow in Central Ohio during the recent widespread pandemic, Heart to Heart is expanding its mission by reaching out to serve clients and their families directly in their local communities while continuing to provide our current drive-through service.

Pop Up Pantry sites will be established working in partnership with local community agencies, such as supportive housing complexes, senior centers and neighborhood community centers and other community-based organizations.  Food from our pantry will be bagged and delivered to an agency’s site location for distribution to clients and their families.

The Pop Up Pantry will operate once a week with a small team of volunteers.  All Pop Up Pantry volunteers will follow current COVID-19 guidelines, including social distancing, face covering and hand hygiene, to ensure a safe environment.

Through the Pop Up Pantry, Heart to Heart continues to further the mission of First Community in serving others as God calls us to do and in meeting the needs of our local community during a time of a serious and widespread pandemic and increased food insecurity.

If you are interested in volunteering for this new opportunity, please contact Janice Rook or Melody Smiley

As Independence Day falls on a Saturday, we will be closed the preceding Friday, July 3, for volunteer shifts. We wish you all a fun and safe holiday.

• Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain.

This picture seen here was put in the Whole Foods Markert on Dublin Rd. It was a paint by number that was open for the community to come in to paint. The image was created by Jeremy Arts Studio. The canvas we first had installed on the side of the building of the annex dry rotted and is now replaced by the canvas you now see. This partnership was created by the Harmony Project. Whole Foods Market on Lane Ave also donated enough food that lasted us at least 3 months or more at that time back in 2013.

The Sign Up Genius has been posted for July and August. As Independence Day falls on a Saturday, we will be closed the preceding Friday, July 3, for volunteer shifts. We wish you all a fun and safe holiday.

• Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain.

Last week you read about Connor’s history with First Community. We shared that Connor volunteered to do his final Eagle Scout project to benefit Heart to Heart and the Trading Post. This week we share photos from the beginning to the end!

“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Lilla Watson

If you are looking to join in the fight against racism in this country and want to play a role with us at Heart to Heart, follow the link  below to learn more.

Click here for article at Medium.com

• Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain.

We needed shelving in the basement of Lincoln Road Chapel to store excess food for the pantry! No worries, Connor McCormick comes to the rescue. Connor is the neighbor of Kitty and Dick Rohrer. Some time ago, I asked my volunteers what they needed to do their jobs more effectively.

Melody Smiley stepped up to the plate and said we needed shelving! We then put shelving on our big wish list. Well, the shelving request became a reality today, and Connor McCormick made it happen.

Connor is a Boys Scout and is working to complete his Eagle Scout rank. For his service project, he chose Heart to Heart and completed some much-needed shelving units. These shelving units will provide better organization and prevent damage to the pantry inventory if flooding occurs in the basement of Lincoln Road Chapel.

The best part about working with Connor on this project is that he attended preschool in the very building in which he built the shelves. This Eagle Scout project is befitting for Connor, one of First Community Church’s own.

A lot of prep work goes into the drive-thru system we have been running since March. Here are some photos of our volunteers at work, bagging groceries for our clients.

“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Lilla Watson

If you are looking to join in the fight against racism in this country and want to play a role with us at Heart to Heart, follow the link  below to learn more.

Click here for article at Medium.com

• Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain.

Kyle Mahan is the food service director at Grandview schools. He has given us many snacks and treats as a result of the Covid-19 school closings.

Upper Arlington Schools also made a donation as a result of the COVID-19 school closings, donating a total of 45 lbs of chips for our clients.

Pictured here is Julie Richards, Director of K-5 Ministry, donating 50 Birthday Bags. Each of these bags is filled with a box of cake mix, icing, napkins, plates, and lastly a handmade birthday card for Heart to Heart clients. All of these bags were put together by the children and families of Midweek Missions of First Community Church.

Thank you to the Orben and family for their generous gift 94 lbs of food and non-food items, and 19 birthday bags to give out to our clients.

Michael Tillis, from Telephone Pioneers of America, brought in their donation of face masks.

In the most recent issue of the Agency 360 Quarterly Newsletter from Mid-Ohio Food Collective, we are reminded of the importance of self-care during difficult times. Please click here to read the newsletter in its entirety.

It’s time to enroll or re-enroll your Shopper’s Plus Card online. You will need:

• • Your Shopper’s Plus Card number
  • Organization Number: TB926 FIRST COMMUNITY CHURCH

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.

You can enroll your new card at any point throughout the year, but current reward program members are asked to renew their support online every year.  To ensure your contributions are still benefiting First Community Church, please login to check your account before the end of the month!

In the period beginning February 1 and ending April 30, 2020, this program earned $1071.55 toward Heart to Heart with 259 households participating. Thank you!

• Tom Norman is currently in a rehab center up walking and talking.
• Loren VanDeusen is having knee surgery on Wednedsay, May 27.
• Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain.

Update from Cheryl VanDeusen

Since we last met to clean up the beds on May 7, John Oberlin and Mike Cox rebuilt the herb bed (picture included). Eric Mars will add an irrigation system. We no longer will need to worry about watering pots! This ultimately will save both volunteer time and the cost of water. They also recovered the row covers with new agribon fabric.

The majority of the produce grown in this garden comes to Heart to Heart so we may give it to our clients.

Watch the video from our friend Sara Hager, Intervention Specialist at Grandview High School. She discusses how her students learn from their hand-on experiences, including their regular volunteering at Heart to Heart.

Click here to read the Columbus Dispatch article on Mid-Ohio Food Collective and how it has developed over the past 40 years. In 2019 we received and purchased over 117,000 lbs of food from Mid-Ohio Food Collective.

It’s time to enroll or re-enroll your Shopper’s Plus Card online. You will need:

• • Your Shopper’s Plus Card number
  • Organization Number: TB926 FIRST COMMUNITY CHURCH

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.

You can enroll your new card at any point throughout the year, but current reward program members are asked to renew their support online every year.  To ensure your contributions are still benefiting First Community Church, please login to check your account before the end of the month!

In the period beginning February 1 and ending April 30, 2020, this program earned $1071.55 toward Heart to Heart with 259 households participating. Thank you!

• Tom Norman
• Loren VanDeusen
• Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain

On May 14, several Keller Williams Associates and family members joined us for their Annual RED Day Celebration. RED stands for Renew, Energize and Donate.  The Keller Williams Associates all over the world choose to “Give Where They Live” as part of this annual day of service each May.

Each year all the Keller Williams’ offices reach out to local organizations and/or individuals to find a project or projects within their community to assist, creating a massive one-day outreach of volunteering and impact in our local neighborhoods. Major thanks to Stacy McVey for making the contact between us and The Keller Williams Associates.

RED Day is built on the belief that people can and should come together to achieve extraordinary things to help others.  RED Day just happens to be a one-day expression of the constant state of the Keller Williams culture and displays the amazing impact a company can have when individuals come together to work as a team for the greater good of everyone.

As you can see in the photos below, the group assisted with landscaping, pre-packing bags, and serving clients. Thank you, Keller Williams Associates.

Click here to view the 8865-pound order we picked up this past Monday. Thank you to the volunteers who helped pick up and unload this large order despite the weather and three fallen trees on the grounds of First Community South near the annex!

Below you can see photos of volunteers working diligently behind the scenes to make Heart to Heart happen!

Update from Cheryl VanDeusen

Eight eager volunteers wore masks and brought their own tools last Thursday to weed, spread mulch, add soil and straighten irrigation lines in anticipation of planting the beds in the middle of May.

It felt good to be in the sunshine and pull tall weeds even while staying 6 feet away from each other. Our married volunteers come in handy when we need to do a two-person task in these infectious times!

Loren has pepper and tomato plants growing in our growing center in the basement and we have cabbage plants waiting in our small greenhouse. We are also on the lookout for collard plants at local nurseries.

We have a lot of donated seeds from our fellow master gardeners in the Pickaway County Master Gardener Volunteer organization where Loren and I do our OSU extension volunteering. We will use them and see how our clients at Heart to Heart like some different vegetables- last year they loved the okra – who knew!! Okra will be grown again this year!

Thanks to our volunteers that day and to all of you who will be helping someway in the future.

Message from Lamar Graham, Director

I recently watched A Place at The Table and found it to be really informative. When you get a chance, you should check it out. Share your thoughts with me if you would like. One of the highlights that I take away is our constant need to serve healthy nutritious meals.

With this, I’m extremely grateful for the work Diane Sturges is doing with our cooking classes, the work Cheryl and Loren VanDeusen do with the gardens at First Community North, and all of our garden connections through MidOhio Food Collective and otherwise.

When we go to Mid-Ohio Food Collective to pick up fresh produce on Mondays and Wednesdays, the National Guard is there to help. They load our vehicles with the produce to bring back to Heart to Heart to distribute to our clients. See the whole story on the NBC4i site.

It’s time to enroll or re-enroll your Shopper’s Plus Card online. You will need:

• • Your Shopper’s Plus Card number
  • Organization Number: TB926 FIRST COMMUNITY CHURCH

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.

You can enroll your new card at any point throughout the year, but current reward program members are asked to renew their support online every year.  To ensure your contributions are still benefiting First Community Church, please login to check your account before the end of the month!

In the period beginning February 1 and ending April 30, 2020, this program earned $1071.55 toward Heart to Heart with 259 households participating. Thank you!

• Tom Norman
• Loren VanDeusen
• Click here to be added to First Community prayer chain

Pictured below is Bobby Jenkins, one of our clients, showing off his new luggage. Most of our clients who are walking catch the number 5 bus and will walk 2 long blocks to get to us, not to mention the distance they will walk once they get off the bus. It’s a lot easier for them to transport food if they have access to rolling suitcases pictured in this photo.

Thank you to those who have donated luggage for our walkers. If you would like to donate more please email us.

UA Gives Back continues to give back. Diapers, Baby food, Dry Goods Oh My!

We were one of many pantries who received support through the generous gift that Jeff Bezos contributed to MidOhio Foodbank. Because of the grant, our entire April bill was covered, for a total of amount of $1,644.66!

Read the full story on the ABC 6 website.

Click here to view our 2019 Annual Report.

Do you know someone who needs a prayer or would you like to be placed on our Prayer Request list? Please click here to let us know.

Brooke Dionisio teaches Family and Consumer Sciences at Hastings Middle school. This year, some of her students worked on making old t-shirts into reusable bags for groceries and whatnot.  They were working to incorporate service to the community and the environment by repurposing. Earlier this week, she came by to drop off these bags for use by our clients.

Crissie Winner stopped by from Barrington Elementary to donate 146 lbs of snacks this week.

Kelly Cantwell and Elizabeth Blank from UA Gives Back donated 631 lbs of non-food and food items to Heart to Heart this week!

Click here to view our 2019 Annual Report.