What’s coming up
Show your support by joining in one of these upcoming efforts.
Red Light Green Light Dance Party — Saturday, March 13
The annual Red Light Green Light Dance Party takes place at 7:30 on March 13 at the Bag of Nails in Westerville (corner of State and Main Streets). Conspiracy is providing the live music, and the event is free to attend. All monetary donations collected at the door benefit Mid-Ohio Foodbank. For more information, see their flyer.
CupcakeCampColumbus—Sunday, March 14
CupcakeCampColumbus will return to the North Market on Sunday, March 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Dispatch Kitchen and “this time it’s frostable.” Organizers Carmen Owens of Surly Girl Saloon, Kiesha Jenkins-Duffy of the blog 52 Weeks of Baking and the North Market’s Mary Martineau are offering a festive Saint Patrick’s Day and spring-themed celebration of cupcakes.
Local celebrities, bakers and other experts will be on hand to judge each category and fabulous prizes will be awarded to the winners. For more details, see their site. Tickets are sold out! Keep an eye on their site to learn when the next CupCakeCamp will take place.
Cakes for a Cause—March 23
Have a sweet tooth? On March 23rd, central Ohio event planners are coming together to put on Cakes for a Cause, and event to raise meals for local families through the power of cake. The 6pm – 9pm gathering will feature cake auctions and prize drawing and takes place at Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s new location in Grove City.
Tickets are for sale now and expected to go fast. Order them online. All proceeds benefit the Foodbank’s Operation Feed campaign.
Artina Food Drive—All of march
Throughout the month of March, Artina Promotional Products is collecting food donations for Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Just drop your donation in their lobby, and they’ll get it to Mid-Ohio Foodbank. See their flyer for details.
Buckeye Mela—April 9 & 10
Buckeye Mela 3 is a celebration of South Asia planned for April 9th and 10th. The event is planned by several associations and OSU students and usually attracts over 1,000 visitors. This year’s Buckeye Mela includes Srujan (a fusion and hindi film dance competition), 2 sports tournaments, (dodgeball and cricket), a block party, and some great after-parties. For more information, visit their website.
Sign-Up Your Kroger Plus Card to Benefit Mid-Ohio Foodbank
You can now register your Kroger Plus Card to benefit Mid-Ohio Foodbank. It’s a great way to support the Foodbank, and it doesn’t cost you a thing. Starting May 1, Kroger's Columbus Division is giving up to $5 million to nonprofit organizations this year through their Community Rewards Program. Each time a participating cardholder swipes a Kroger card after shopping for groceries, the organization automatically earns money, up to a maximum of $50,000 quarterly.
To sign up for the program, visit www.krogercommunityrewards.com and register your Kroger Plus card (Most people will have to sign up online as a new customer and register their existing card). When asked which charity you’d like to support, enter in Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s organization number - 83610. Within 10 days, a percentage of your grocery purchases will benefit Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
Fudha - good.eating.
Fudha is pioneering a unique way to connect people heading out to restaurants with good deals for a good cause – fighting hunger. The Columbus-based internet startup offers discounts from locally-owned restaurants, donating revenue from every meal to support families served by the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Fudha offers members one dining deal a day (which can be used like a coupon), until time runs out or the maximum number of deals is sold (whichever comes first), and then they offer a new deal the next day.
Membership is free at the Fudha website. For every Fudha sold (that’s what they call their deals), the site donates $1 to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. The site features deals from many local dining favorites including Betty’s, Due Amici, and Bodega.
USx8
Because of food donations and our bulk purchasing power, a $5 donation (the price of a burrito, latte or movie ticket) really equals $40 worth of food!
USx8 is a movement to create awareness among a generation strapped for cash that even giving a little goes a long, long way. Help spread the word! Print your own USx8 posters.
What we’re celebrating
Our community partners make our events possible - raising crucial resources for the fight against hunger.
Donations Come in Different Shapes and Sizes
Towlift Inc.'s donation of a Caterpillar Quad Mast Stand-Up forklift will allow Mid-Ohio Foodbank to maximize its new 7,500 sq. ft. of freezer & cooler space from floor to ceiling,; effectively cutting costs without the expense of paying for outside storage space.
The donation ultimately allows the Foodbank to increase food storage capacity and helps further its mission, of providing food to all those who need it in central and eastern Ohio.
Columbia Gas of Ohio and Santa Spread Holiday Cheer
Columbia Gas of Ohio today presented Mid-Ohio Foodbank President Matt Habash with a $50,000 corporate donation, in support of the Foodbank’s Campaign to Sustain for its new distribution facility in Grove City. This is the second of two checks from Columbia totaling $100,000 for the campaign this year.
Columbia President Jack Partridge noted that Columbia has been a strong supporter of the Foodbank for nearly 30 years through philanthropy, volunteerism and employee food drives. “We are proud to be a part of the new facility that triples the Foodbank’s capacity to serve more families in central Ohio,” Partridge said.
The Campaign to Sustain is a $16 million fund raising effort in support of the new distribution center. To date, the Foodbank has raised $14.8 million and is working to meet a March 31, 2010 fundraising challenge issued by the Kresge Foundation. If the Foodbank meets its $16 million goal by March 31, Kresge will contribute an additional $1.45 million. For more information on the campaign, or to donate, visit www.campaigntosustain.org.
Woodforest Bank
Woodforest Bank donated $3,850 to Mid-Ohio Foodbank to use for the Take-Home groceries for kids program. The Weekend Take-Home grocery program provides groceries every other Friday to children in after-school programs to take home to their families.
Sooryakumar Family
The Sooryakumar Family raised $8,000 from their Indian classical dance recital featuring Dhriti Sooryakumar -- who is pictured to the left of Matt Habash, Foodbank president and CEO.
Local ten-year-old sells home-made crafts to raise money for Foodbank
Ten year-old, Ethan, made record bowls to sell at the Bexley Festival of the Arts to raise money for Mid-Ohio Foodbank. In all, Ethan raised $25! Because each donated dollar to Mid-Ohio Foodbank provides $8 worth of food – Ethan’s donation will provide $200 worth of food to a local family in need.
Thank you for your donation, Ethan! We’re proud of you! Click on Ethan’s photo to hear what he had to say about his kind donation.
‘Tis the Season to Volunteer – Mayor Coleman Packs Holiday Food Boxes
Mayor Michael Coleman joined a group of volunteers at Mid-Ohio Foodbank Thursday, Dec. 17 to help pack remaining holiday food boxes.
The boxes will be distributed to pantries in the Columbus area including: Gladden Food Pantry, Providence Pantry, Freshstart Church of God and Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center.
That’s a lot of sandwiches! - Aunt Millie’s Bakeries donates 2,400 loaves of bread
Just in time for Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s three busiest distribution days of the year, Aunt Millie’s Bakeries donated 2,400 freshly baked loaves of bread that will be circulated to those in need this holiday season.
“Aside from distributing food, it’s also our job to raise awareness of hunger issues,” said Matt Habash, president and CEO of the Foodbank. “This generous donation from Aunt Millie’s helps us on both fronts by providing food and gaining attention.”
In all, Aunt Millie’s will donate more than 57,000 loaves of bread this holiday season to food banks throughout the Midwest.
Nascar driver, Kyle Busch, volunteers at Mid-Ohio Foodbank: with a few of Columbus' favorite mascots
On Dec. 9, 2009 Nascar driver, Kyle Busch, Brutus Buckeye; Columbus Blue Jackets' mascot, Stinger; and a group of hardworking volunteers from Nationwide Insurance, volunteered packing holiday food boxes that will be distributed to Mid-Ohio Foodbank's network of central Ohio food pantries. Without all of the dedication and passion from our network of volunteers, Mid-Ohio Foodbank would not be able to sort, pack and distribute the volume of food our agencies demand. Thank you Kyle, Brutus, Stinger, Nationwide and all devoted volunteers for helping us ensure that no one goes hungry this holiday season.
Watch Kyle talk about his thoughts about Mid-Ohio foodbank and his volunteer experience.
A Million Pounds in Just Three Days
Mid-Ohio Foodbank is preparing for greater demand at food pantries during the holidays and as winter sets in. On Dec. 9 through Dec. 11, the Foodbank distributed more than 1 MILLION pounds of food to Franklin County food pantries. Tune in to see some of the madness.
Netapp Collects Food
Netapp employees turned a regional meeting into a windfall for Mid-Ohio Foodbank. They asked all 30 Ohio Valley associates to bring donations of nonperishable food for Mid-Ohio Foodbank to their Columbus meeting.
They collected over 1,200 lbs for Ohio families in need.
Enterprise Donation
Enterprise Fleet Management of Central/Southwest Ohio recently presented at check for $700 to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank in Columbus on behalf of their customers in the Greater Columbus area.
Pictured are Enterprise Accounting Supervisor Mindy Holder, Mid-Ohio Foodbank President & CEO Matt Habash, Senior Account Manager Brittany Gehringer, and Controller Joe Kraichely.
Charter One Volunteers
The Charter One Foundation recently awarded a $5,000 grant to Mid-Ohio Foodbank, which will provide 447 turkeys to needy central Ohio families for the holidays. The Carving Out Hunger initiative is an annual campaign to raise awareness of hunger issues and provide holiday meals to local men, women and children in need. Charter One volunteers also visited the Foodbank recently to sort food for the Foodbank's network of 530 agencies. "We hope our efforts will help alleviate hunger in central Ohio and we are proud to help families put nutritious meals on their tables this holiday season," said Ken Marblestone, president, Charter One, Ohio.
City Barbeque Shares Feast
Local restaurant chain, City Barbeque, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary and decided the best way to celebrate was by giving back to the communities they serve. On Tuesday, November 10th, Mid-Ohio Foodbank was one of three Ohio food banks to receive pulled pork, brisket, ribs and turkey donations just in time for the start of the holiday season.
“It’s been 10 years since we opened our first joint on Henderson Road in Columbus inside an old donut shop. We’re so grateful for all the support we’ve received. All we ever wanted to do was introduce Ohio to true, authentic barbeque while being a good neighbor and giving back to the community,” said Rick Malir, President of City Barbeque.
“We certainly appreciate City Barbeque’s generosity and it couldn't come at a better time as more and more people will be visiting our agencies as winter sets in and the holidays approach,” said Matt Habash, president and CEO at Mid-Ohio Foodbank. In order to get through these hard times, Mid-Ohio Foodbank is counting on special promotions by central Ohio companies and events that give our community the opportunity to help.