Category: Stories

Donated Plants Brighten a Client’s Day

While donations of food and personal care items help us to meet clients’ most important needs, sometimes we’re excited by a more unusual donation.

Recently, Kroger’s Sid Cohen provided potted bamboo plants to the pantry, making it possible for each client to leave not only with food for their family, but with a cheerful plant to perk up their home. One NEEDS client couldn’t say enough about how excited she was to choose a plant: “I came here for food, and I get a plant, too? That’s a great start to my day!”

Thank you to Sid and Kroger!

New Deadline: The Piggest Raffle Ever!

Interested in supporting NEEDS…and winning cash? The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon’s Piggest Raffle Ever is the perfect opportunity!

Now through April 30, you can purchase raffle tickets for $5 each – with 100% of your donation going directly to NEEDS! On May 1, the Flying Pig will draw a winner of $5000 cash. The winner’s charity will also receive $5000! While everyone is welcome to celebrate Flying Pig race weekend, you do not need to be present in order to win.

Entering the raffle is easy! Just visit http://piggestraffleever.com/ and select NEEDS from the drop-down list of charities. Then choose your number of tickets and click “Adopt.”

NEEDS is so excited to participate in the Piggest Raffle Ever. Thank you for your support!

January Impact

The first month of 2022 saw the NEEDS pantry remaining busy, while financial assistance requests decreased. Here are the totals for January:

During the month of January, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 105 families – for a total of 383 people!

NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to seven families, distributing $2666.67 to cover rent and utilities.

Current Pantry Needs

The NEEDS pantry is in need of a variety of canned foods and toiletries. If you would like to help stock the shelves, please check out the list of crucial items below.

Donations can be dropped off during NEEDS’ open hours (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-1:00). Thank you!

Canned Food:
Baked beans
Bean with bacon soup
Clam chowder
Pasta sauce / tomato sauce
Mixed vegetables
Yams / sweet potatoes
Salmon

Home and Personal Care:
Laundry detergent
Liquid dish soap
Pump hand soap
Toilet paper
Tissues (Kleenex)
Baby wipes
Feminine hygiene pads and tampons
Women’s Depends / generic equivalent

NEEDS Helps Elementary Students Stay Warm

Jan Deters presents a check at Evendale Elementary.

As many of us bundle up against this month’s winter storm (or stay cozy inside!), other families in our community struggle to afford much-needed winter clothing. Thanks to the generosity of our donors during the Student Assistance Drive, NEEDS was recently able to help! NEEDS volunteers delivered gift cards and funds to four local elementary schools – Stewart, Evendale, Sharonville, and Sycamore – so that school officials could help to provide underprivileged students with warm clothing for the winter.

Current Pantry Needs

The NEEDS pantry has been busy! This month, donations of toiletries and household items would be especially appreciated. Please check out the list of most-needed items below.

Donations can be dropped off during NEEDS’ open hours (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-1:00). Thank you!

Canned Food:
Mixed vegetables
Baked beans
Chili

Home and Personal Care:
Laundry detergent
Liquid dish soap
Pump hand soap
Shampoo and conditioner
Feminine pads and tampons
Body wash
Baby wipes
Depends / generic equivalent (any size but XL)

December Impact

As 2021 drew to a close, requests for food remained steady, while requests for financial assistance increased.

During the month of December, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 102 families – for a total of 357 people!

NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 16 families, distributing $7011.82 to cover rent and utilities.

Current Pantry Needs

While the NEEDS pantry has benefited from several recent food drives, there are still items missing from our shelves. If you would like to help, please check out the list of most-needed items below.

Donations can be dropped off during NEEDS’ open hours (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-1:00). Thank you!

Food:
Beef ravioli
Pancake mix
Instant oatmeal packs

Home and Personal Care:
Body wash
Shampoo
Deodorant (men’s and women’s)
Laundry and dish detergent

November Impact

As temperatures fall, our community’s need for food and emergency financial assistance increases. Here are the totals for the past month:

During the month of November, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 105 families – for a total of 385 people! This is over 60 more people than the previous month.

NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to nine families, distributing $3480.33 to cover rent and utilities.

October Impact

The NEEDS food pantry has been very busy this fall. As the weather gets colder, requests for food and emergency assistance are likely to increase. Here are the numbers served for the past month:

During the month of October, NEEDS provided food to 87 families – for a total of 323 people!

NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to seven families, distributing $2887.69 to cover rent and utilities.

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