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.
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!
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
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.
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.
Summer is always a busy time for the NEEDS pantry. Families in need do not have access to free school breakfasts and lunches for their children, so they turn to the pantry for help. By September, our shelves are looking emptier than usual!
You can help by donating some of our most-needed items! Please check out our top needs below, but know that anything you choose to donate will be put to good use.
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: Beef soups / beef stew Bean with bacon soup Chicken and beef broth Clam chowder Chili Salmon Sweet potatoes / yams Collard greens Pineapple Tomato sauce
Other Nonperishable Food: Instant oatmeal packets Packaged cereal Packaged rice and pasta side dishes
Home and Personal Care Items: Laundry detergent Sanitary pads and tampons Toothpaste Pump hand soap Deodorant
July was a short month with a holiday closure – but in August, the pantry was open for the maximum number of Tuesdays and Thursdays. This gave NEEDS the opportunity to serve 100 more people than in the previous month!
Here are the latest numbers:
During the month of August, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 197 families – for a total of 698 people!
NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 16 families, distributing $6095.00 to cover rent and utilities.
Do you shop for groceries at Kroger? If so, there’s an easy way to support NEEDS with each purchase! With the Kroger Community Rewards program, you can link your Kroger shopper’s card to NEEDS. Kroger makes annual donations to participating organizations – and the more you spend, the more NEEDS will benefit!
In July, NEEDS kicked off our annual Student Assistance Drive. Meanwhile, volunteers stayed busy responding to requests for food and emergency financial assistance.
Here are the past month’s totals:
During the month of July, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 168 families – for a total of 587 people!
NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 18 families, distributing $7455.00 to cover rent and utilities.
