Mid-Ohio FoodBank Winter 2006 Newsletter

	Winter 2006 Newsletter
	Articles: New Partnership Gets Food to Needy Families Honoring Our Volunteers Letter from the Family of Maria Coccia Lifesavers A Souper Way to Help Assist for an Assist Regular Features: Did You Know? Food Facts Volunteer Focus Etc., Etc.

	New Partnership Gets Food to Needy Families Families turning to Franklin County Department of Job & Family Services (FCDJFS) for employment training or other social services now may receive emergency food boxes to get them through a crisis or tide them over until their food stamp eligibility is approved. A joint venture between FCDJFS and the Foodbank enables the department to supply emergency food for applicants on site at the county’s five convenient opportunity centers. Breakfast items, soups, fruits, kids’ staples, mixings for main dish casseroles, and cooking essentials are included. “While the county is focusing on services that will enhance opportunities for employment and self-sufficiency, we remain aware of the difficulty parents have participating in training or job search activities when they lack sufficient food for their families,” says Douglas Lumpkin, Franklin County Job & Family Services Director. “By partnering with Mid-Ohio FoodBank, we can now provide food items until their assistance programs are activated and available,” Lumpkin added.	Kathleen Notestine packs food from Mid-Ohio FoodBank into boxes at ARC Industries. The food boxes will be made available to families receiving help from the Franklin County Department of Jobs & Family Services. This new partnership will help many families in crisis. Return to Top

	Honoring Our Volunteers The following volunteers received awards for reaching a volunteer milestone: 2,000 Hour Club Kensel & Opal Clutter, Harry Kregar 1,000 Hour Club Abie Bond, George Craiglow, Nancy Hodges 500 Hour Club Willie Lyles, Alveta White 100 Hour Club Jacques Angelino, Wayne Frindell, Ruth Colvin Graves, Gina Holland, Stephanie Kerr, Bryan Kuhn, Susan Kraus, Betty McDaniel, Sandy Pond, Steve Reber, Sue Ridolfo, Ellen Schneider, Chris Shop. Kelly Spriggs, Caroline Sweney, Karen Thimmes, Marg Thomas, Bonnie Ward	(From left) Bev Thompson, manager of volunteers, presents Opal Clutter with an award for volunteering 2,000 hours. Mrs. Clutter and her husband have been volunteering at the Foodbank for over eighteen years. Return to Top

	Letter from the Family of Maria Coccia [We wanted to share a beautiful letter we received from a family who recently lost their mother. Their words touched us and reflected the spirit and caring of so many of our supporters.] Dear Mr. Habash, When our mother Maria Coccia died at the end of August, we wanted to include in her obituary the option of giving to a local charity in her memory - a charity that would resonate with the spirit of her life. It wasn’t long before the word “food” entered our conversation. After all, our mother worked as a cook for 47 years at the Florentine Restaurant near downtown, a job she took after coming to the United States in 1948 from Italy. She valued her job for the ability it gave her to raise her family and the sense of worth that meaningful work provides. As you can imagine, food was also an important part of our family life. Over the years, Mom’s Sunday dinners were a traditional event for children and grandchildren. And her cooking was also a major part of family gatherings for birth, baptism, graduation, and marriage. Our mother always remembered what it was like to be without food. She would often speak of the hardships she endured in post-war Italy, having to wait in line for hours just to get a small sack of flour and sugar. Those memories not only motivated her to provide for her family as best she could, but also to be mindful of the needs of her neighbors. Mom always had a place in her heart for those who were hungry. It was with these thoughts in mind that we decided to name the Mid-Ohio FoodBank as the charity to which a contribution in her memory could be made. We knew that Mom would be happy with the idea of her friends and family members making gifts to help feed the poor and hungry in our community. And we are indeed grateful for the many gifts totaling over $1,200. Thanksgiving Day will mark our mother’s 84th birthday. When we gather to celebrate and count our blessings, we will also remember the special gift that our mother was in our lives and hope that all people are able to find a warm and secure place at the community table. Sincerely, Peter Coccia and Felicia Maxwell Cotsamire Return to Top

	Lifesavers H.R. Gray gave the Foodbank a lifesaving donation recently. Project Second Chance is a Columbus City Council initiative encouraging local groups to outfit their buildings with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). H. R. Gray went the extra mile to donate an AED for the Foodbank to have on hand as well as training for five of our staff members. According to Jim Joyce, president and chief executive officer at H.R. Gray, “I know that many of the people who work at the Foodbank are volunteers and may be doing this type of work infrequently. I felt it was the perfect place for an AED.” Return to Top

	A Souper Way to Help Every year the Super Bowl generates a lot of excitement; it can generate a lot of meals for hungry people as well. On February 4th, 2007, many people will be getting ready for the big game. They’ll be making snacks, inviting over family and friends, and cheering for their favorite team. Many people will also mark the big day by providing meals for local families in need. The Souper Bowl of Caring is a simple and fun way to help fight hunger. Congregations can collect dollar donations in soup pots and donate the funds to Mid-Ohio FoodBank. Youth groups can sell submarine sandwiches and donate proceeds to the Foodbank. School kids can collect cans of soup. Football fans can invite friends and family to bring donations to their Super Bowl parties. You can find even more ideas at www.souperbowl.org. This event is a nationwide grassroots movement that encourages people to fight hunger in their own community. If you’d like to help us score meals for hungry families, call (614) 274-7770 and let us know your game plan. Return to Top

	Assist for an Assist Unlike basketball, hunger has no season. That’s why The Ohio State Buckeyes are teaming up with The Kroger Company to help provide food for those in need in partnership with Mid-Ohio FoodBank. For the entire season, every time a Buckeye makes an assist, Kroger will donate a grocery bag of food to the Foodbank. Through March 3, you can help too. Look for Kroger’s “Hunger Knows No Season” scan cards at Kroger check out lines. Donations of $1, $5, $10, and $20, let you help those in need right here in central Ohio. It’s a quick and easy way to help. We hope you’ll join the Buckeyes and your local Kroger store to make an assist that truly makes a difference. Return to Top

	Did You Know? Pampered Chef, a direct seller of kitchen tools, is continuing their tremendous support of food banks across the nation. They are promoting their Round Up from the Heart Campaign that encourages customers to round-up their orders to the nearest dollar. Proceeds are then donated to the local food bank. In addition to this fundraiser, Pampered Chef consultants are selling a brushed copper trivet this year in honor of Round Up from the Heart. For every trivet sold, Pampered Chef will donate $2. To schedule a Pampered Chef party, call Darla Oelmann at (740) 3376. Return to Top

	Food Facts “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” If the old saying is true, then the Foodbank is keeping the doctor far far away. Between July 1 and October 31st of this year, the Foodbank received 280,000 pounds of apples from Ohio growers. Want to know more about this wholesome fruit? Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has 5 grams of fiber. Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free. The mineral boron is found in apples and may promote bone health. Return to Top

	Volunteer Focus Foodbank staff celebrated some of our favorite people on October 16th at the Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus. We held a recognition event for the volunteers who have worked a phenomenal number of hours to help us provide food for those in need. Volunteers were acknowledged for reaching milestones from 100 hours - 2,000 hours spent volunteering for Mid-Ohio FoodBank. Their work ranged from sorting food to helping with office work to planning our annual golf outing. Our thanks to Broad Street Presbyterian Church for allowing us to hold our event in their beautiful facilities and to Kurtz Bros., Inc., a commercial landscaping company, for sponsoring the recognition. Return to Top

	Etc., Etc. Do you spend every spring seeing Operation Feed posters up all over town and wondering how to get your business or organization involved? Feel left out when the WBNS-10TV Food Parade comes around? Well, it’s never too early to sign up for the community-wide Operation Feed Campaign. This annual springtime campaign raises millions of meals for central Ohio families. Sign up now by contacting Joan Casto, Operation Feed campaign director, at (614) 274-7770 or at operationfeed@secondharvest.org. Your organization will be notified about upcoming coordinator sessions, available campaign materials, and important events. With your help, we’ll make the 2007 campaign the best one yet!

	Return to Publications Page Return to Top View Site Map Mid-Ohio FoodBank w 1625 W. Mound Street w Columbus, OH 43223 614-274-7770 w 614-274-8063 FAX website: www.midohiofoodbank.org email: mofb@secondharvest.org