Weekly Update
Statistics
Drive-Thru Households Served
- 33 on Tuesday, January 16
- 60 on Thursday, January 18
Pop-Up Households Served
- 42 on Wednesday, January 17
Monday’s Truck
We have an order arriving from Mid-Ohio Food Collective on Monday afternoon. Click below for a preview of what we will be unloading!
Volunteers Needed
Monday, January 22
- 3:30 pm-5:00 pm MOFB Order Unloading
Tuesday, January 23
- 8:30 am- 10:30 am Drive-Thru (6)
- 10:00 am- 12:30 pm Drive-Thru (7)
Wednesday, January 24
- 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm MOFB Shop-Thru (1)
Thursday, January 25
- 8:30 am- 10:30 am Drive Thru (4)
- 10:00 am- 12:30 pm Drive-Thru (1)
Friday, January 26
- 9:30 am- 10:30 am Cold Stocking Shift (1)
News
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.
Heart to Heart Ministry Team
Our Heart to Heart Ministry Team met for the first time last week. We are excited for the plans ahead! We appreciate the work of last year’s team: Rose Kandel, Andrea Keil, Pat Porterfield, and Melody Smiley. This year’s team is made up of (as pictured below):
- Andrea Keil
- Kevin Orsini
- Carolyn Barger
- Dave Westman
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
Hair Care Drive
Thank you to everyone that donated on Sunday, January 14. With your help, we collected 151 pounds (86 North, 65 South) and $20 in donations.
Our next monthly drive will be held on February 11. On SOUPerbowl Sunday, we will collected canned soups and sell one-of-a-kind soup bowls.
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.
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.
