Story in Pictures – January 2019
December was filled with joyful moments as we worked diligently to help as many of our neighbors as possible. The month kicked off with our amazing Adopt A Family program followed by our Holiday Food Distribution. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring holiday cheer to the homes of so many and we look forward to more exciting work in 2019.
ADOPT A FAMILY 2019
THANK YOU to every dedicated donor, volunteer and staff member who supported our 2018 ADOPT A FAMILY campaign. Because of your generosity close to 110 families we serve went home with beautifully wrapped presents. Thank you for helping us make Christmas more joyful for hundreds of children in the tristate region.
Congratulations to Class 176 of Cincinnati COOKS!
HOLIDAY FOOD DISTRIBUTION
We are proud to share that over the span of two incredible days, we successfully delivered nutritious holiday meals to over 11,000 individuals which is close to 4,000 households in the tristate. Our sincere thanks to the hundreds of volunteers, community leaders, elected officials and staff members who worked alongside us to make this possible. We are especially grateful to our generous sponsors Sysco Corporation, American Mortgage and Coca-Cola Consolidated.
Holiday Food Distributions – Christmas 
Adopt –A – Family
An Opportunity to share Professional Skills
Mayerson Distribution Center
Liberty Street Market (formerly Liberty Street Market)
Healthy Harvest Mobile Market
Food and Fund Drives
As Freestore Foodbank works to solve the critical issue of hunger for the over 273,000 food insecure residents of our region, helping neighbors in need build self-sufficiency is essential.
Cincinnati COOKS!, Freestore Foodbank’s free, ten-week, culinary workforce development program helps individuals acquire the skills necessary to find and maintain employment. While other organizations offer similar classes, our training is free and provides wrap-around services. In addition, we accept returning citizens and do not require a specific level of stability before acceptance to the program, instead we work with applicants to improve their stability. Cincinnati COOKS! remains the only program in our region open to individuals of all backgrounds with a focus on formal culinary training rather than on-the-job training.
After graduating from Cincinnati COOKS!, participants can continue their training with Second Course, a free, 8-week program focused on fine dining and kitchen management. Upon completion of Cincinnati COOKS! and Second Course, graduates can enroll at Cincinnati State with 30 credit hours toward an Associate Degree in Culinary Management. The Cincinnati COOKS! program changes the trajectory of participants’ lives, providing a career path and a life enriched through education.
Freestore Foodbank gratefully acknowledges recent grants from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, HDR Foundation, Harold C. Schott Foundation, General Mills Foundation Hometown Grantmaking Program, and American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation to support Cincinnati COOKS! this year. We depend on grants and individual restricted donations to support our Cincinnati COOKS! students and provide essential equipment for their training.
“The Trustees of the Harold C. Schott Foundation appreciate the work of Freestore Foodbank, and we are pleased to be able to supports its mission to provide food and services, create stability, and further self-reliance for people in crisis,” said Foundation trustee Allison Kropp. “It is because of Freestore Foodbank’s mission and the way that it delivers upon that mission that the Foundation provided grant funding to help fund Power Pack sites for the 2018-19 school year, to support families in the Stabilization Program, helping them attain their goals and build their self-sufficiency, and to provide training and wrap-around services for Cincinnati COOKS! students.”
The Clearinghouse Pantry in Aurora, Indiana sits atop a tiny hill, slightly removed from the street. A gentleman in a Santa hat loading bags of groceries into the trunk of a car waves enthusiastically and wishes me a Merry Christmas as I emerge from my car. I hurry into the building, my scarf pulled tightly around me, bracing against the whistling, arctic gust. As I walk through the doorway I find myself in a big cheerful room with a vaulted ceiling, festive with brightly colored Christmas decorations and bustling with excited shoppers and helpers. I am greeted by Karry Hollan, Executive Director of the pantry. “I am so glad to meet you,” she says as we hug. As I soak it all in, I bask in the wonderful feeling that I am a part of this team now, in a place where everyone is welcomed and loved. I look around, delighted by th the warm smiles, cheerful voices, the holiday hats and Christmas music. It was worth it to visit Aurora, Indiana to be a part of this!
The Clearinghouse was established in 1981. At first it was meant to be just a clearing house for all of the community’s humanitarian efforts. More than 30 years later, the Clearinghouse is now a wonderful partner to the Freestore Foodbank, leading the effort to end hunger in Dearborn and Ohio counties in Indiana and operating three food facilities in Lawrenceberg, Greendale and Aurora. “We do our best to maximize the use of the space we have,” Karry remarks as she gives me a tour of the building, packed from floor to ceiling with hundreds of items including food, household appliances, furniture, clothes and toys. Recently they received a grant from the Subaru foundation to purchase a walking stacker. Clearing House is one of the Freestore Foodbank’s biggest distributors of fresh food received through federal grants. Recently they started operating a mobile pantry in the community. “Ever since we started the mobile pantry, we have been getting requests from several different parts of the community,” says Karry. “We’ve been to the Parole Department and to Ivy Tech Community College so far. But there are a lot of other spots to reach. The need is so great.”
Clearinghouse distributes “Snack Sacks” (similar to the Freestore Foodbank’s Power Packs) to schools in the neighborhood. During the holiday season they organize a toy drive called the Toy Coalition. Nearly 500 children will receive toys this year. The pantry has three staff-members. The rest are all volunteers from the local community. The Mayor and his staff have offered to help distribute toys over the holidays and also donated $1,000. “We are blessed to be part of a very caring community,” remarks Karry. “I hardly ever have to ask for anything. I merely mention an idea and it happens!”
The Freestore Foodbank is proud to partner with Clearinghouse to provide nutritious meals to communities in Indiana.
Sandra stared at the pediatrician in disbelief as he spoke. Her youngest child had just tested positive for lead poisoning. The condition sounded vaguely familiar. She remembered hearing about it happening to other people. Now it was happening to her. She felt panic as she wondered what lay ahead. The symptoms, the developmental challenges, the frequent, mysterious illnesses that led to regular visits to the doctor – all the recent events that were starting to overwhelm her suddenly fell in place. The doctor put her in touch with the Health Department who said they would need to inspect her apartment. A few days and several tests later it was determined that her two older children also showed signs of lead poisoning. The paint on the walls of her old apartment proved to be the source of the lead. The Health Department contacted her landlord recommending renovations to ensure the health and safety of his tenants. To her shock and dismay, the landlord concocted a false accusation that Sandra had not been paying her rent and moved to evict her. “He figured it would be easier to get rid of me than take care of the problem with the building,” she reflects. Sandra sought legal counsel, but received nothing. Within a few days she found herself homeless.
Sandra started to make phone calls, desperately trying to find a place to live. “Every homeless shelter I called was full,” she says. “I was starting to get more and more frantic.” Quite by accident, someone handed her the number of the Freestore Foodbank. “As soon as I called the Freestore Foodbank I felt I would be able to get help,” Sandra recalls. She filled out the required paper work and waited to see if she would qualify for the Freestore Foodbank’s Shelter Diversion program. “I was working at a local restaurant. I made $8.50 an hour which was hardly enough for me to cover rent and take care of my three children.” The Freestore Foodbank enrolled her in the program and put her in touch with the Apartment Association. Together they moved her and her family into an apartment. For the first few months she received rental assistance while she tended to her family’s medical needs and got her life back together. As her life stabilized, she was able to regain her independence and become self-sufficient.
In December Sandra put her name in the hat to be considered for the Freestore Foodbank’s Adopt A Family program. “I was worried that I would not be able to afford to get Christmas gifts for my children and I was so thankful that my family was included in the Adopt A Family program,” she remarks. But then things got even better. A few days later she received an unexpected call from the Freestore Foodbank with the wonderful news that she had been chosen to receive CORT Furniture’s annual donation of furniture, gifts and household items to a deserving family. “This was an amazing gift,” Sandra remarks with tears of gratitude in her eyes. “CORT Furniture gave me gifts that transformed my apartment into a home,” she says. “They gave us furniture for the entire house, pots and pans, a microwave, TVs and gifts for the kids. They gave me gift certificates and a check for $500. They even gave me a Christmas tree.” Sandra is still incredulous at the generosity and compassion of all those who have helped her in the past few months. “Coming to the Freestore Foodbank was the key,” she states. “They took care of my every need and concern and I knew I was safe.” She is also extremely thankful to the Apartment Association for their help in securing a home for her family and providing rental assistance at a time when she needed it.
Mayerson Distribution Center
Coming in 2019: First Saturdays are Family Saturdays!
Liberty Street Market (formerly Liberty Street Market)
The students filed into Xavier University’s Center for Innovation that Friday evening – many of them exhausted after a long week. They stood in little groups making small talk, discussing tests and term papers and making plans for Thanksgiving weekend. They were smart and accomplished Computer Science Majors ranging from novice Freshmen to seasoned Seniors preparing to graduate in a few short months. For the next three hours they would be immersed in a Poverty Simulation hosted by the Eigel Center for Community Engaged Learning, facilitated by the Freestore Foodbank and put together by the Missouri Community Action Network.
The Simulation benefited two specific student groups: Computer Science students who, along with their faculty, will be focusing their service learning coursework over the next two years on the Poverty Collaborative shepherded by United Way of Greater Cincinnati. As directed by their faculty, these students will take on projects as part of their coursework that provide tangible benefits to this initiative and further its significant outcomes. The second group, Xavier’s Community Engaged Fellows, already engage our surrounding communities weekly through service and collaboration as part of their scholarship. This opportunity offered them deeper insight into some of the obstacles that the families, students, and residents they engage.
“Preparing students before they immerse and engage in community activities as part of their learning is essential,” comments Sean Rhiney, Director of the Eigel Center. “The Freestore Foodbank’s Poverty Simulation served as that critical connector between the lessons in the classroom and the experiences offered by the community, and ultimately provided students who participated in the simulation with experience and insight into the challenges facing our community’s most vulnerable. This will inform the students’ collaborative work over the next two years working with nonprofits and furthering the outcomes of the Poverty Collaborative. “
The simulation gave participants a first-hand experience of poverty – of what it feels like to be poor and unable to pay rent, purchase food, pay utility bills, afford health care make car payments. Over 60 students attended the Poverty Simulation – a few of them volunteering their time to help facilitate the exercise, while the others were active participants. They each assumed a different identity for the duration of the simulation, handling critical issues that many of our neighbors face on a daily basis – hunger, lack of affordable housing, inability to afford childcare, lack of health care, and eviction.
“The experience was life-altering in many ways,” a student commented afterwards. “It changed my perspective on poverty and the troubles of others. It reminded me that many of the comforts I take for granted in this world, are true blessings that so many others don’t have.” The Xavier faculty and staff hope to make the Poverty Simulation a part of their curriculum and incorporate it into their schedule every year. The Freestore Foodbank is proud to partner with the university to raise awareness about issues related to poverty and hunger on college campuses and in the community. We also appreciate the able assistance of CAIN (Churches Active in Northside) in organizing this wonderful event.
Talid was one of several children, born to a single mom who dated constantly and moved from city to city in search of love and companionship. They travelled from city to city –from Jackson, Mississippi to Texas and then to South Carolina – whenever and wherever her mom’s adventures took them. Talid moved out of her mother’s guardianship as soon as she turned 18. “I wanted to be independent,” she says. “I wanted to be my own person.” Travelling with her partner, she found herself in Colorado and started working at a meat processing plant there. “My job was messy and horrific,” she remembers. “I worked on carcasses, blood splattering everywhere, covering my hands and my clothes, cutting out inedible pieces of meat with a knife.” It was hard work and she fell ill from sheer exhaustion. Her girl-friend who worked at the same facility was laid off. While Talid struggled to recover, she lost her job too. Unable to pay their rent, the couple became homeless almost immediately.
“It was scary,” Talid admits. “Being homeless is scary. We almost froze to death while we wandered around looking for a place to stay.” Most homeless shelters in Colorado gave preference to the old, the disabled or to families with kids. The fact that they were young and lesbian made it challenging. “Being LGBTQ can cause homelessness because we can face rejection from our family,” says Talid. “In addition, being LGBTQ prolonged our homelessness because of acceptance and safety issues at existing shelters.” Someone eventually gave the young couple Greyhound tickets and they travelled for 30 hours across the country to Cincinnati and knocked on the door of Lighthouse Youth Services. “I had heard of Lighthouse when I’d been passing through Cincinnati during my travels,” Talid muses. “I remembered the kindness and open-mindedness of the staff. And I knew without doubt that I’d be safe here.” Lighthouse welcomed Talid and her partner, providing them with an apartment, warm meals and support services. They began working with a case worker. Talid’s partner who graduated from Freestore Foodbank’s culinary training program is looking for employment as a chef. Talid loves to write poetry and she hopes to land a job in security services. “I am grateful for the support at Lighthouse and I appreciate the compassion and generosity of everyone who works here,” she adds.
Lighthouse, founded in 1969, was the fulfillment of the dream of a group of citizens from the Baptist Women’s Fellowship in Cincinnati and others who sought a better future for young people and families. Originally a single group home, Lighthouse now provides housing, education, therapeutic and other services to over 5,000 youth and families each year. Early this year the Sheakley Center for Youth opened its door with 36 individual shelter bedrooms, 39 apartments and a resource center for youth aged between 18 and 24. The Center has operated at full capacity since the day its doors opened. “This tells me the crisis of homelessness among youth in this country has gotten worse over the years,” says David Durr, Shelter Director . “Families have been broken for generations and it is terrible to see so many young people suffer the consequences.” As an agency, Lighthouse tries to reunite youth with their families whenever possible.” “Families provide a support system that every young person needs,” adds Durr. “Our clients are young and they will make mistakes just like all of us. We try to reunite them with family so that they will receive support through life.”
The Freestore Foodbank works closely with Lighthouse to provide food assistance as well a multitude of other stabilization services. “The Freestore Foodbank serves as a one-stop shop for our clients,” remarks Paul Haffner, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our young clients often struggle with the complexities of securing identification documents, signing up for Medicaid or managing their own finances. 20% of our clients have developmental disabilities which make it impossible for them to navigate the system on their own. The Freestore Foodbank’s Payee Program helps our young clients use the financial assistance they receive towards paying their rent. “
The Center also works with workforce development programs such as Cincinnati COOKS! offered by the Freestore Foodbank to provide job training and employment opportunities to their clients. “When we refer a young person to the Freestore Foodbank, we can be confident that he will be taken care of,” adds Durr.
December is here and we are once again in the middle of holiday festivities. The city is festooned with holiday ornaments and lights, adding a rare brilliance and sparkle to our surroundings. As we get pulled into the spirit of the season, it is easy to forget that the holidays are perhaps the most stressful time of the year for some of our neighbors, especially those who struggle to make ends meet. The pressure to provide a wholesome holiday meal to one’s family, to find adequate shelter from the freezing cold of December or provide holiday treats to one’s children can prove too much to bear for those who are hungry or homeless.
The Freestore Foodbank is excited to announce our December Holiday Food Distribution sponsored by American Mortgage, Sysco and Coca Cola Consolidated on December 19 and 20 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm at 112 East Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Over the span of two remarkable days, the Freestore Foodbank will provide holiday boxes to nearly 7,000 household in the tristate region. The event will also galvanize the efforts of hundreds of volunteers who help us greet and welcome clients, fill holiday boxes, push shopping carts and load and unload groceries.
We are thrilled to have the amazing support of American Mortgage, Sysco and Coca Cola Consolidated and we thank them for joining us in our mission this holiday season to provide nourishment and comfort to our neighbors and to bring holiday cheer to families in our community. “We are grateful for the support of our generous corporate partners – American Mortgage, Sysco and Coca Cola Consolidated. We are very thankful to them for making it easier for us to accomplish our mission. Their support helps offset the cost of the food we distribute and we are grateful for their help!” comments Kurt Reiber, President and CEO of the Freestore Foodbank. We look forward to continuing to work with the community to make the holiday season more meaningful and enjoyable to families in the tristate region. And we are thankful to our extraordinary sponsors and volunteers who will help make the holidays memorable for our neighbors.
