Kenwood Baptist Church Puts the Giving in Thanksgiving


Pantry coordinator Maureen recently shared this story of holiday generosity from one of our faithful member organizations:

“Each year, the families of Kenwood Baptist Church gather to celebrate Thanksgiving as a church family. The meal is the traditional one of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings. But the event extends so much further than the room itself.

This year, church members attending the dinner were asked to bring a donation of peanut butter and/or pasta sauce to help stock the NEEDS pantry for the busy holiday season ahead. And give they did! Offering bins were filled to the brim, and what was donated filled pantry shelves. In addition, holiday-themed notecards were placed on each table to be written to nursing home patients who weren’t able to join in the fellowship. Diners were also encouraged to post what they were most thankful for on a large Thanksgiving banner.

Kenwood Baptist Church provides the space in which the NEEDS pantry is located. But it does so much more to support the pantry’s efforts. Thank you, church members, for your generosity and support!”

Soccer League Ends Season with Drive for NEEDS


Pantry coordinators Maureen and Janie shared another great story about young people helping in our community:

“The elementary school soccer players from All Saints and St. Vincent Ferrer parish schools do more than battle it out on the soccer field. They work hard to help their neighbors in need.

For three years now, the teams’ year-end celebration has included a drive to help stock the NEEDS pantry. Patrick Reardon, the league’s coordinator, takes care to contact the pantry each year for its list of most-needed items. This November, league volunteers delivered three carloads of donations — easily more than in the two preceding years.

We’re so grateful for all the effort by the teams’ volunteer staff members and players. Sportsmanship on steroids!”

Preschool Holds Drive for NEEDS Pantry


Pantry coordinators Maureen and Janie shared this sweet story:

“Good Shepherd Lutheran Church has always been a faithful supporter of NEEDS and its food pantry. And now, even its littlest members are in on its efforts! The church’s well known preschool recently held a drive to help restock the NEEDS pantry. Michelle and Laurie, two of the school’s staff members, reached out to the pantry for our list of most-needed items and shared it with students’ families. The result? A full SUV of donations!

Beyond the value of the donations themselves, it’s gratifying to know that even the youngest among us are being taught to help their neighbors in need.

Thank you so much, Good Shepherd Lutheran Preschool!”

Montgomery Community Church MOPS to the Rescue!


The feminine hygiene products that all women and their daughters need are not covered by SNAP benefits. But as most women know well, these products are expensive – and our donors rarely think to give them, so the NEEDS pantry has always had a hard time keeping them in stock.

Enter the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group at Montgomery Community Church. When coordinators Maggie Link and Brianna Hagen learned of the pantry’s need, they appealed to their members to donate. What NEEDS expected to be a modest donation turned out to be an entire SUV full of one of our most-needed items. 

Thank you, MOPS members! You’ve done a lot to help less fortunate women and girls.

October Impact


The NEEDS pantry served almost 100 more people in October than in the previous month, including 30 new families. Requests for emergency financial assistance also remained high.

Here are the latest numbers:

During the month of October, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 207 families – for a total of 709 people!

NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 17 families, distributing $5778.00 to cover rent and utilities.

Kroger Surprises NEEDS!


Pantry coordinators Maureen and Janie recently shared this wonderful story:

“The pantry had closed for the day, and the last of our volunteers were leaving the building when an SUV pulled quickly into our drive-through. Volunteers thought it was a neighbor arriving late to pick up food. Then the woman driving said, ‘Are you still open? Is this where we drop donations?’

Clara Henderson, retail operations manager at the nearby Kroger Technology Center, said she was there with a delivery. And what a delivery it was! Her SUV was jam-packed with laundry detergent, shampoo, deodorant, feminine hygiene supplies, and non-perishable food.

Ms. Henderson and her colleague, Caitlin Moore, a loss prevention analyst, explained that their Kroger team had met and decided not to celebrate their own work, but to give a gift to the community. They looked up food pantries located in the area and found NEEDS. Rather than just donate random items, they checked our ‘Most Needed’ list to provide us with exactly what we requested.

Kroger’s local Montgomery store also gives to NEEDS every Sunday — donating produce, bakery, deli items, and meat.

Thank you, Kroger, for all you do for NEEDS!”

Current Pantry Needs


As we move into November, many families plan to donate to food pantries at Thanksgiving. But there’s no need to wait! You can help now by donating some of our most-needed items from the list below.

Donations can be dropped off at Kenwood Baptist Church during our open hours (Tuesday and Thursday 9:00-1:00). If you would like to arrange a drop-off on another day, please call (513) 378-8767. Thank you!

Canned Food:
Peanut butter
Pineapple
Corn
Mixed vegetables
Tomato sauce
Black beans
Beef soups
Chicken soups
Clam chowder
Collard greens

Other Nonperishable Food:
Instant oatmeal packets
Packaged pasta and potato side dishes

Home and Personal Care Items:
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Shampoo
Sanitary pads and tampons
Pump hand soap
Laundry detergent

Current Pantry Needs


As the NEEDS pantry continues to serve record numbers of families, our shelves are quickly depleted. You can help by donating some of our most-needed items from the list below.

Our current greatest need is laundry detergent, but anything you can give will be appreciated!

Donations can be dropped off at Kenwood Baptist Church during our open hours (Tuesday and Thursday 9:00-1:00). If you would like to arrange a drop-off on another day, please call (513) 378-8767. Thank you!

Canned Food:
Pineapple
Green beans
Mixed vegetables
Tomato sauce
Black beans
Beef soups

Other Nonperishable Food:
Instant oatmeal packets

Home and Personal Care Items:
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Shampoo
Deodorant
Sanitary pads and tampons

September Impact


Recently, the NEEDS pantry has been seeing a large number of new families each month. Over 20 families (new and returning) were served on each open day in September.

Here are the latest numbers:

During the month of September, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 181 families – for a total of 617 people!

NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 17 families, distributing $6310.00 to cover rent and utilities.

Pet Supplies Plus – A Loyal NEEDS Supporter


NEEDS pantry coordinators Maureen and Janie recently shared this wonderful story about a faithful NEEDS partner:

“Several years ago, we noticed that every time we served one particular man he asked for more tuna. We joked with him about his love of tuna, and it was then that he told us he fed what we gave him to his cats. It was one of those “lightbulb” moments for our pantry’s staff. Of course, if our neighbors needed emergency food support it was only logical that their pets would as well.

We contacted local pet stores to see if they would donate cat and dog food. Many could not. But Pet Supplies Plus in Blue Ash agreed, as did their store in Harper’s Point.

But it was meeting Laura Patt, manager of the chain’s store in Independence, Kentucky, that truly gave our efforts momentum. Laura happened to be on loan to the Blue Ash store one evening when we stopped for donations. On hearing the story of NEEDS and its mission, she said we should pick up at her store — a much larger one than our local stores — as she had a lot to give us. Since then, she has asked to display our brochure as well as a sign we’ve made to solicit pet food donations.

This photo is from a recent pickup at Laura’s store in Independence, and features one of her employees. In the last week of September alone, she has generated an additional three SUVs — totally full of donations — to NEEDS and the people we serve. Those, again, came from the Blue Ash store where we first met her.

Thank you, Laura, from the bottom of our hearts!”

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